Fire Resides in Her Heart
by axelkairi
Summary: 5 years after the events of Kingdom Hearts 2. Kairi has never forgotten what Axel had done to her, but now she must team up with him to step into Sora's role to save the worlds, against new and strange enemies. Sorry guys, I've abandoned this story
1. INTRO

Name: Kairi Yuki

Age: 20

Personality: nice and kind-hearted, but strong and smart

History: She is one of the Seven Princesses who is needed to open the door to Kingdom Hearts. Sora saved her from Xehanort, the evil Heartless who captured her and the other Princesses. She also helped him and her best friend Riku, along with Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey, to kill Xemnas, Xehanort's Nobody, who had a very similar plan. He lead Organization XIII, a bunch of Nobodies trying to obtain hearts. One member started rebelling, and captured Kairi. Sora and his friends saved her, and now, 5 years later, she and Sora have been together since then, and have been living together for 6 months. Riku is a high school english teacher, Sora works at a Japanese weapons shop and secretly practices with their weapon, and Kairi is going to college and will major in fashion and minor in journalism. She currently works at a small fashion magazine called Chic.

Name: Sora Everheart

Age: 20

Name: Riku Apath

Age: 22

Name: ????

Age: ??


	2. Chapter 1: Our Story Begins

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 1

_~Dearly Beloved playing~_

"Kairi!"

I turned around and saw Sora standing at the other side of the hallway, motioning for me to come to him. He was wearing a black tee with dark blue jeans, and a pair of white sneakers he's had since before I moved in with him. Normally, this would bother me, since I was in college to be a fashion major, but I loved him enough to let him wear whatever he wanted - as long as it wasn't ridiculous, and when it really mattered, I chose the outfit.

I smiled and waved to him. "Hey Sora!"

_~Sinister Sundown playing~_

"Kairi!"

My head snapped up as my boss, Madame Lefrois, called my name. "Yes, Madame?" I stood up and hurried to her side, for I knew from experience that she wasn't going to slow down for me, or anyone else for that matter.

"Get me three dresses from Dior, four from Calvin Klein, and seven from Ralph Lauren; they're liking his designs lately." She didn't slow down at all on the way to her office and I struggled to get it all down in my notebook. "Get matching accessories for all, but not the same boring color; make it bold!" She stopped in front of her office and turned around to face me. I forced my face to look relaxed and competent, a look I'd mastered from only three months of torture. She looked like she bought it. "And get a few tuxes from each, two plain, and at least three with colors that match some of the dresses." She started to turn around but, as if she'd thought twice, she continued. "I have lunch with my husband at 1:30 and dinner with Calvin, as a matter of fact. And," she added as a quick afterthought, "pick up a vanilla frappiccino from Starbuck's; have it all here in fifteen minutes."

She turned and shut the door behind her.

I stood there for a moment, my brain still processing all the information. Finally, I sighed and closed the notebook. This had been my life for three months. Backbreaking and impossible work, then boatloads of homework and sleepless nights. I closed my eyes to give myself a little time to rest.

Then I realized I had fifteen minutes to do everything in my notebook.

My heart panicked and I ran to the elevator, going to the store closet. I pressed the 4 button and it lit up, and the doors closed slowly. When the elevator started moving, I thought of what kind of dresses I'd get.

It was Prom season, so probably long dresses, maybe one or two short. Bright colors like pink, yellow, blue, green, and red. Lots of reds and yellows. A few with pretty earthy patterns, and maybe one or two kinda rocker.

The doors opened and I rushed into the room, picking out dress after dress after dress. I got four tuxedos and matching accessories for all the dresses, and hurried back to the elevator.

_~Kairi playing~_

But on the way there, I saw the dress. The dress that I'd been in love with since the very first day I started working here. _My_ dress. If only.

It was made of beautiful sky blue satin. It ruffled at the breast, and had a belt of rhinestones down to the waist, and at the waist the rhinestones went up in the middle, creating a sort of half-diamond shape to the fabric. The straps, which were about an inch wide, were covered with the rhinestones as well. The satin clung to the mannequin, then became flowy and soft-looking after the hips, and fell down gracefully to the ankles.

That dress was the only reason I didn't apply for a job at another magazine. It was designed by Chic, and only one had ever been made. They'd never shown it to any designer of other magazine for fear that they'd steal it and sell it as their own.

Knowing that I could never have it nearly brought tears to my eyes, and to stop myself from crying, I had to tear myself away and return to the elevator. And when the door closed, I pushed the dress out of my mind, like always, and looked at my watch.

_~Tension Rising playing~_

Ten minutes!

If I hadn't forgotten about the dress by then, I certainly did at that moment. I pressed the ground floor button and tapped my foot all the way down there. When the doors finally opened, I rushed to the door. Suddenly remembering all the clothes in my arms, I spotted a nearby assistant and shoved the clothes into her arms. "Madame Lefrois's office!" was all I managed to choke out before I sprinted out of the building and out to the street.

I dodged through the crowds and families - I even cut through a couple holding hands. It was sort of dangerous, but I couldn't concentrate on that. I glanced down to look at my watch.

Seven minutes!

_~Roxas playing~_

I almost screamed. I started my feet up again, only to stumble on someone else's feet. I started to fall, but luckily he caught me. I got to my feet, caught a quick glimpse of his face - green eyes, red hair - and muttered a hasty "Sorry, sir." Then I ran again, just barely catching his answering "No prob" on the wind.

_~Sinister Sundown playing~_

I got to Starbuck's with five minutes left. I pushed myself to the front of the line, ignoring yells of protest. "Vanilla frappiccino, now please!"

Apparently the cashier saw the look of panic on my face and knew to take me seriously. He quickly handed over one and I slipped him a $10, running out without the change.

Three minutes!

I picked up the pace. Upon entering the lobby I didn't see the assistant I'd given the clothes to. I sighed in relief, knowing that she'd delivered them to the office. I got in the elevator, punched the top button, and waited as I was dragged up all the way to the top of the building.

One minute!

The doors opened and I rushed into her office. At the very last second of the minute I placed the frappiccino on her desk.

_~A Walk in Andante playing~_

She walked in and looked at the clock. "You're late," she said, looking at me expectantly.

"I wasn't, Madame," I tried. "You came in -"

"How _dare_ you try to blame this on me!" She walked up to me and glared at me in the eyes. Somehow it was less threatening than she surely meant it to be. Maybe it was because I was a whole half-foot taller than her. "You had better watch yourself, _petite fille, _or you might be cleaning out your station before spring vacation." She then proceeded to slam the door in my face.

I ground my teeth together, then felt my anger dissipate slowly. I sighed and closed my eyes, thinking about the rest of my day. My shift had just ended. I still had an hour before I had to go to class. I walked around my desk, picked up my bag, and decided to go visit Sora.

_~Passion ~after the battle~ playing~_

My watch beeped an alarm at me at the worst possible time.

Sora and I were pressed up against each other, clothes wrinkled, and breathing heavily in the storage closet of Katana, the Japanese weapons store he worked at. When his boss went on his late lunch break, he and I would go in here and "get rid of our stress". At first, it sort of scared me that I was letting loose in a room filled with rusty swords and steel fans, but I got used to it. And my mind would usually wander away from those thought within a minute, anyway.

I broke free of the kiss that I'd wanted to last forever. "I have to go," I whispered.

"Nooo," he whined playfully. "Not yet, please?"

I laughed and gave him one last kiss, one that I knew would satisfy him. "Tonight, okay?" I promised.

"Tonight," he echoed, stroking the side of my face with the back of his hand.

I blinked slowly as I enjoyed the feeling. His love for me was made real by his every touch, and I loved that he could make my heart flutter with a single look. When I opened my eyes and caught sight of his beautiful, deep blue eyes, I couldn't help myself. I leaned forward and kissed him again, wrapping my arms around his neck.

He kissed me back gently, almost as if he was holding himself back. He made up for it, however, by resting his hands high on my waist and pulling me as close to him as possible.

I could feel myself melting in his arms. "I don't wanna go," I muttered past his lips, then deepened the kiss.

Sora took a step back so he was leaning back on the wall, and he brought me with him, his arms never loosening around me. "Then don't."

His words tempted me like no other, but I had to step back. I sighed. "I have to," I said regretfully. "I'll see you tonight, 'kay?"

He sighed, but he had the slightest trace of a smile on his face. "Alright. Tonight then."

I smiled back and left the store, fixing my clothes on the way out. I got in my car and drove to Radiant Garden University, thoughts of Sora making me hum along with the radio.


	3. Chapter 2: A Weird Poem

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 2

_~Dearly Beloved playing~_

I began walking toward Sora, smiling. It was so good to see him waiting for me. He was always so helpful and supportive, taking care of the house so I could get to sleep early, and helping me juggle my hectic schedule. God, I loved him.

But the closer I got to him, the clearer his expression became. He looked... scared? No, not quite that. Worried, that was it.

But why would he be worried?

His eyes were focused on something behind me, and I turned, following his gaze.

There was a tall man standing at the end of the hallway, wearing all black. Looking at him, I felt something familiar, like I'd seen him before, somewhere, but I couldn't place him in my memory. Who was he?

_~A Walk in Andante playing~_

"Vacation?" Madame Lefrois nearly screeched.

"Uh, yes, Madame," I stuttered. "It's nearly finals this month and I need all my time to study."

Madame Lefrois sighed and tapped her pen against he desk for what seemed like forever. I began to feel sweat prickling at my brow, and I bit my lip in anxiety.

Knowing her, she probably would say no and not give it another thought. I was her best assistant, and no matter how shitty she treated me, she knew it, and she wouldn't jump up at the idea of having to get someone lower to replace me. Heck, if I was in her position I'd be thinking the same thing!

But if I didn't ace all my finals this semester, I was screwed. And if I screwed up in college, I was never gonna get hired by another, more successful magazine. Or worse -

I'd never be able to be a designer.

My throat went dry at the thought, and I swallowed to quell the discomfort. My dream was to become a designer; it had been since I'd started making clothes for Riku and Sora. They had both been growing fast since we beat Xemnas, and our families didn't have very much money as it was, so I just saved up my allowance and pay from the various odd jobs I'd do to help out on Destiny Islands and bought yards upon yards of fabric, all different kinds and styles and colors. Over the years I got really good at it, and it was always so much fun. Just being able to do what I wanted to do and not have to listen to someone else critiquing everything I did.

Jolting me from my memories, Madame Lefrois finally answered. "Alright. I'll get Amelia to cover for you until next month. But if you are not here on the very first day of April, consider yourself unemployed."

"Yes, of course, Madame." I backed out of her office, shut the door behind me, and leaned against the doorframe. I sighed and wiped the sweat from my forehead, then started to pack up the things on my desk. I called across the hall to Amelia. "Hey, Amelia, I'm on vacation for a month. Madame Lefrois assigned you to my shift, 'kay?"

"Whatever," she responded in her British accent, even though I knew she'd wanted my job since she got second place to me, and I knew from how she bouncing on the balls of her feet discreetly that she was ecstatic.

I smiled, hoisted my bag onto my shoulder, and exited the building with a sigh of relief.

_~all music stops/silence~_

_"Kairi, watch out!"_

I stopped in my tracks when I heard the voice. "Namine?" I whispered to myself. She hadn't said anything for four years. Why was she speaking up now? I looked around in reflex, trying to find what I was supposed to be watching out for.

_"He's close, she's closer_

_They watch without seeing__._

_Heartless they are_

_They live without being."_

I furrowed my brow. "What?" I muttered, my lips hardly moving so I wouldn't appear crazy to anyone passing by. Who's close? Who are _they_?

I didn't understand why Namine was suddenly speaking in rhyming riddles, but usually things like that are important, right? So I pulled out my notebook and clicked my pen to write.

_~Roxas playing~_

When I tripped on someone's foot.

I stumbled a step, then caught my balance, waving my arms like an idiot. I almost dropped my pen and notebook, but luckily I didn't, lest I look like an even bigger idiot. "Sorry," I said, glancing over my shoulder to their general direction, without catching sight of who it was.

God, why was I tripping so much lately? Yesterday _and_ today. I turned around to see if whoever it was that I'd tripped on was the same guy from yesterday, but no one was there. Confused, I stared at the spot a little longer, but I saw no traces that anyone had even been there. There had been a distinct smell of smoke on the man that I'd just tripped on, but there weren't any cigarettes on the ground.

I narrowed my eyes. "Hm..." This was starting to get weird. I'd have to go to Katana and talk to Sora about this. Maybe he'd understand it.

Wait. I stopped for a moment, trying to think. But, ugh, there were too many people around! Too many people talking, laughing, walking; I couldn't think like this.

I walked quickly to a small indent of wall between two buildings, away from the crowd, in the dark. There was just enough light to be able to write down the poem Namine had said. I thought before I wrote, tapping the end of the pen against my lips repeatedly.

There was probably no need to get Sora involved. I mean, for all I knew I'd tripped over two completely different guys. Maybe I was just clumsy from being so tired all the time. And that guy had probably been smoking earlier and the smell had lingered, and after she tripped on him he'd gone inside Chic or a building close to it. There was no reason to be freaked out.

As for Namine's warning…

I decided to wait until I got home to see if Sora had heard anything from Roxas. If he had, then that meant he should know and he had to do something about it. If not, then I was pretty sure I could handle it myself.

I nodded to myself and clicked my pen, then scribbled the poem on the notebook paper, muttering it to myself as I wrote:

"He's close, she's closer

They watch without seeing.

Heartless they are

They live without being."

I tapped the final period after the last word, nearly poking a hole in the paper.

"Pretty poem."


	4. Chapter 3: Showdown with Axel

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 3

_~Axel's Theme playing~_

I snapped my head up to stare, wide-eyed, at the man that spoke.

My breath caught in my throat. It couldn't be…

But it was. It was the man from Organization XIII, the one who had captured me in Twilight Town. He'd hurt Hayner, Pence, and Olette! _And_ he was supposed to be dead!

Almost without thinking, I stepped back as far as I could from him, keeping as much distance between us as possible. "Get away from me," I growled through my teeth, holding my pen tightly in my hand. As if it would do any damage.

"Is that any way to talk to an old friend?" he asked, stepping toward me lazily.

_So this was what Namine was talking about_, I realized. _The "he" is this Axel!_

Even after five years, I could still remember the very first time I saw him.

_~Kairi playing~_

I was on the beach on Destiny Islands, waiting for Sora to respond to my letter in the bottle. I hadn't heard from him or Roxas in a long time, and I was starting to get worried…

"Maybe… waiting isn't good enough," I said to myself, blinking slowly.

"My thoughts exactly!"

I looked around, surprised to hear a voice echoing across the shoreline. I couldn't see anyone near me. Who was speaking?

"If you have a dream, don't wait. Act."

I could finally somewhat pinpoint the voice. I turned to left and saw a bunch of shadows gathering together at the ground, forming a sort of oval.

"One of life's little rules." The portal vanished and a man with fire red hair and green eyes stood in its place. He looked kinda threatening with his black trench coat; I remember feeling a little scared. "Got it memorized?"

"Who are you?" I asked after a slight pause, letting my arms down to make it seem like I wasn't as afraid as I felt.

"Axel," he answered immediately, lifting his head in a acknowledging gesture. "I happen to be an acquaintance of Sora's." He slowly held out his hand to me. "Why don't we go see him?"

I hesitated. Something in his voice didn't sound right…

Still, I couldn't help but feel excited. The very mention of seeing Sora made butterflies flutter in my stomach. "…Sora?" I asked, still a little guarded.

He nodded slightly, his expression becoming expectant.

I couldn't believe it. I was gonna see Sora! Finally! I started to step forward.

Then a dog's bark made me gasp and look away from those hypnotizing eyes. It sounded familiar…

Pluto ran up to me, barking and wagging his tail. He seemed excited. Did he wanna come see Sora, too?

His ears lifted and he barked more as strange white bodies suddenly appeared from nowhere all around us. They seemed to be dancing, shifting their hips this way and that, swaying their arms. They looked so lazy, like they'd fall asleep, but they somehow seemed scary…

My intuition proved right. Pluto eyes narrowed and he growled at the creatures, his tail swishing from side to side.

Axel let his arm fall and stepped forward, as if he was about to say something.

I looked away down to the ground, but a whistle made me turn my head. A black portal appeared behind me, and Pluto ran to it, smiling, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. He stood next to it and barked at me, as if he wanted to go with him through it. But seeing as this intimidating "Axel" had appeared from inside one of those, I was sort of apprehensive.

Axel must have sensed my hesitation, for he smiled and spoke again, his face looking consoling and understanding, open and inviting. "We've got something in common, Kairi," he said, leaning forward, putting his hand to his heart. He put his hand in the air and made it into a fist. "You and I both miss someone we care about." His eyes shifted to the side, as if he were remembering something, but trying not to show it. He quickly smiled again and got an almost cocky look on his face. "Hey, I feel like we're friends already." He opened his arms and smirked.

I could sense the dancing white creatures slowly moving closer to me. I knew right then that I couldn't trust this Axel, and I ran after Pluto, who disappeared into the void. About halfway there, I turned and lashed my arm out to the side. "You're not _acting_ very friendly!" I snapped, then ran as fast as I could after Pluto.

Ever since then, even after everything Sora told me, I'd never trusted Axel.

At least, not after all that he'd done to me.

_~Organization XIII playing~_

Just remembering my time with him almost brought tears to my eyes. He'd threatened me, burned me, scared me half to death, starved me, and made me cry more than I had in my entire life. When I finally escaped from that horribly blinding Castle Oblivion, I'd felt a happiness and freedom that most people never get to experience. And when I found my way back to Twilight Town, with Hayner, Pence, and Olette, my three new friends, I told them everything. Tears had soaked through my clothes and made my hair stick to my face, but I didn't care. All that mattered was that I was away from Axel, and I was safe with my friends.

And now that he was back, I was _not_ going to let him hurt me ever again.

I rushed at him, dropping everything on the ground except my pen. I stabbed it into his arm, just below his shoulder.

He choked in pain, obviously not expecting it. It was short-lived, though, for right as I was about to kick him back, he grabbed my foot with one hand, removing the pen from his arm with the other. He flicked the bloody writing instrument to the other side of the wall, then shoved me back by my foot. I stumbled back, tripped over my own feet, somersaulted backwards a few times, then slammed my head against the wall.

My vision went hazy, and there was a prickling sensation behind my eyes as everything faded slowly to white from the sides. I felt myself fall forward, then suddenly I couldn't feel the ground underneath me. My head lolled back, supported only by the brick that I was pushed up against, my feet dangling helplessly above the ground.

The prickling lessened and I blinked slowly as my vision returned. The first thing I saw were his eyes, filled with hate and anger, glaring at me. His lips were parted and he ground his teeth together, almost as if he were a dog snarling at someone. He had one of his circular weapons pressed up against my throat; he'd only have to push it forward a few inches and I'd be dead.

I hadn't felt so helpless since he'd kidnapped me five years ago. I was gonna die, and no one would know to save me. Not even Sora or Riku.

The prickling came back, stronger than before, now that it was feuled by tears. I saw white again, then his eyes, then white; back and forth, side to side, up and down, to and fro.

A tear fell hot down my face, and in between the whiteness, I could see his emotions in his eyes. He seemed almost sad that I was crying, regretful, maybe.

_"Don't don't don't don't don't don't don't..."_

_"Cry cry cry cry cry cry cry..."_

_"Kairi Kairi Kairi Kairi Kairi Kairi Kairi..."_

Axel's words continued long after his lips stopped moving, and I couldn't understand why.

His weapon disappeared into a shadow that looked like barbed wire crawling up his arm, and he shifted his arms so he was carrying me. I heard a sort of whooshing sound, and knew he'd just opened a portal.

"Lemme go, bastard," I slurred, unable to say anything else. Where was he taking me?

"Sh..." he said quietly. "Sleep, Kairi. We'll finish this up later, I promise."

His words echoed in my mind as blackness creeped in from the sides, overtaking the white and dulling my mind, until I couldn't feel anything.


	5. Chapter 4: A New Enemy

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 4

_~Dearly Beloved playing~_

My eyes opened slowly, achingly, like each of my eyelids weighed at least two hundred pounds. My vision was still a little hazy, with white around it like a frame, but after blinking a lot, it started to clear up.

My little rendezvous with Axel made me expect to see white walls and strange, averagely drawn pictures on them, but I was surprised to recognize the beige walls and oak doorframe of my room.

I first felt relief, thanking anyone's god that he hadn't taken me back to Castle Oblivion with him, but then I was confused. What was the point of him finding me if he wasn't going to hurt me?

If he was just gonne drop me back off at home, then...

And then my confusion was replaced by fear.

He'd been in my house!

I jumped up from my bed in an effort to check everything in the house for cameras and bombs, but my vision immediately went white upon standing, preceded by that horrible prickling behind my eyes. I put a hand to my forehead and opened my eyes even wider than they were already, trying to see. It slowly dissipated, replaced by blurry colors, then finally my room became visible.

_Okay, note to self,_ I thought. _Get up slowly for a while_. I walked to my bathroom and used two mirrors to check the back of my head where I hit it before. There was dried blood all over my hair, and the back of my shirt was sticky and soaked. I made a face and tentatively pressed my fingers to the center of the blood.

I had never been so nauseous in all my life. The spot was just barely bleeding, thickening the sticky mess that the tips of my fingers were now submerged in. I could feel my heartbeat past the small layer of skin that hadn't been ripped through. I gasped in pain as I pressed slightly too hard, and I withdrew my hand quickly. I washed my hands, blinking rapidly to rid my eyes of the tears it gathered from the pain. When I was finished, I started a wash of the blood-soaked sheets I'd slept on, and my gross sticky shirt. I checked the blood flow again afterward; it had slowed down to the point where it had almost stopped.

I turned the shower on to wash my hair. Also, Axel had touched me, and I felt dirty because of it.

I turned on the water and set it at the hottest setting that I could stand. I wanted all the skin of mine he had touched to be burned off.

I stripped my clothes off and tossed them to the corner behind the door. I glanced at my watch as I took it off; I still had three hours before Sora came home.

My eyes widened. That redheaded asshole made me miss class!

I almost punched a hole in my mirror, but I forced myself to calm down. I'd just call Selphie and ask what I'd missed. No biggie. Everything would be fine after I took a shower. Then I could think clearly without any interruptions.

I stepped into the shower and was instantly assaulted by scorching hot water pounding against my skin. My head hurt badly as the water hit it, but I just ground my teeth together and braced it. As long as there were no traces of Axel on me, I could deal.

I looked down at the drain and saw that the water flowing down it was tinged sharply with red. My stomach turned, and I couldn't stop myself. I quickly lifted up the toilet seat and emptied the contents of my stomach into the bowl. I wiped my mouth and rinsed it with the shower water, spitting it in the toilet, then flushed it. The acid had made my throat burn, and trying to drink the scalding shower water only burned it more. I tried swallowing, but that just made it hurt as it went down.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I fell to my knees, crying, the bloody water pooling around me.

I put on my clothes, taking care with my shirt so as not to tug off the towel wrapped around my soaking wet hair. Sora had just called to say that he'd be working late, since I was taking a vacation. He said he would cover my income by working longer. He was such a sweetheart.

He didn't mention anything about Roxas or the poem, so I didn't say anything, either. I tried to sound as normal as I could over the phone, and since he didn't ask what was wrong, I was pretty sure I did a good job.

I looked out the window and saw that it was later than I'd thought it was. The stars were shining beautifully, and the moon was full and silver. I smiled a little at the sight. I'd always loved starry nights, times when the world was truly at peace. It was gorgeous.

I dried my hair with towel, so it was only damp, and walked outside the back door to the balcony. I leaned against the wood, crossing my arms on the ledge, my hands hanging off, and stared up at the moon. Its glow vaguely reminded me of Kingdom Hearts. I remembered I always thought the giant heart looked like a golden moon, and I had marveled at how something so beautiful could be used for such sinister purposes, as those of Xehanort and Xemnas.

I was so happy that there were no more Heartless around, or Nobodies for that matter. Well, there was still - somehow - Axel, but he was probably the only one left. There had been no signs, no calls from other worlds, about any new danger since we defeated Xemnas.

I sighed, letting that breath carry away all my troubles. Life was good.

I was startled by a dog growling in the backyard, below me. I looked down and saw a large shadow moving across my lawn, slowly.

_It's probably just a dog, _I thought, but then started to think twice. This thing was _huge_! How big can a dog get, anyway? Whatever that thing was was standing up, and it was about my height. A small bear, maybe? No, something told me that this thing wasn't an animal...

_~Axel's Theme playing~_

I walked back inside and started to go downstairs. I could feel Namine once again, her emotions seeping into mine. She was scared and apprehensive, but she wasn't yelling at me not to go down there, so I kept walking. I opened the back door and stepped outside, and immediately the creature's eyes locked on me. They were the brightest yellow I'd ever seen, and they glowed in the darkness. It slowly began to make its way to me, and the closer it got to the porch lights, the more I could see it.

It resembled a human being, but seemed to be made of some sort of smoky material. It was hunched over, its arms too long to be proportionate, its clawed fingers skimming the ground as it walked with bent knees. It mouth was open, as if it didn't care enough to close it, and just let its jaw hang and its tongue loll out. It had fangs like a dog, or a lion really, and they shone white in the moonlight.

And on its chest was a symbol: a gold heart with a black star behind it.

My eyes grew wide and I gasped. It looked just the symbols on the Heartless and Nobodies! But I'd never seen anything like _this_. What was it?

Suddenly, the creature lunged at me, claws outstretched, and eyes wide.

I nearly screamed, and crossed my arms in front of my face in a pointless effort to protect myself. Then, a familiar weight settled in my hands, and I heard a yelp as the creature was thrown back. There was a soft _thump_ as it hit the ground a few yards away from me.

I opened my eyes and smiled. My flowered Keyblade rested comfortably in my hands, letting off a soft yellowish-blue light in the darkness. It had been a long time since I'd needed this, and it was nice to have it back, especially now.

I stepped forward and held the Keyblade so it was across my body, guarding me. My grip tightened around it and I dug my feet into the ground. Time to teach myself how to fight again.

I ran at the creature and swung my blade. It jumped back to avoid it, then lunged at me again. I ducked and somersaulted forward, and it flew over my head. I stood up and turned, just as it dug its front claws into the ground to stop itself suddenly and turned sharply to face me. We ran at each other and I parried its blow at my head, then quickly cut its shoulder, waist, then swung the Keyblade in a full circle, creating a deep wound at its stomach. It fell back at the force of the blow, but quickly pushed itself back up with its overly long arms and kicked me with both feet.

It knocked the breath out of me and I flew through the air, but I got myself together and jumped in the air, then rocketed down, plunging my Keyblade deep into the center of the creature's heart symbol.

_~Roxas's Theme playing~_

It let out a low howl as it faded, the shadows that made it up seeping into the ground, until there was nothing left.

I was surprised to see that nothing, not a heart or anything, flew up into the sky from the creature's body. My eyes narrowed. What _was_ that thing?

My Keyblade disappeared from my hand, and left me standing in my backyard, alone and confused.


	6. Chapter 5: Q and A

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 5

_~A Walk in Andante playing~_

I'd put up an act for Sora, making it seem like everything was fine. I made dinner, we ate, watched some TV, and made jokes between the commercials. As far as he could tell, everything was just how it usually is. We went to sleep, him hugging me from behind, but I couldn't sleep for hours after his breathing became steady.

What _was_ that thing? I knew it wasn't a Heartless or a Nobody, so what was it? Something new that we didn't know about? I wanted so badly to tell Sora, but he'd finally beaten everything out there. He deserved to have a normal life for once after everything he'd done for all the worlds.

I decided that I would never tell him about what I'd just fought.

Finally, I'd gotten to sleep, and Sora was long gone when I woke up. He left a note that said "Good morning, Kairi! See you tonight =) Love, Sora". I smiled and hugged the note to my chest. I hated not being able to tell him everything, but it was for his own good, and that was enough to lessen the guilt.

But only a little.

I made a quick breakfast - a bagel and half a banana - and let my mind wander as I ate.

Why had Axel come to see me the very day that creature attacked? Was there a link between them? Did he know something?

He must know something! Why else would he be here? I finished my breakfast as fast as I could and ran outside, searching for him.

_~Organization XIII playing~_

"Axel!" I called, an unconscious look of anger on my face. Just saying his name made me furious. I hated that he had such an effect on me, but I hated _him_ even more.

The crowd around Bastion Square seemed to drown out my voice. I needed to find someplace quieter.

Then I remembered the space between Chic and The Barber Shop where I'd seen him yesterday. With all luck, he'd hear me there.

I made my way there quickly, pushing past people and getting many angry looks and flying fingers. I didn't care; I was too close to getting answers to slow down.

I stepped in between the buildings and took a deep breath, trying to quell the horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Axel!" I tried again, a little louder than last time.

"What was that?" His voice echoed around me, mocking me.

I ground my teeth together. I couldn't believe he expected me to be _polite_ to him! "I need to talk to you," I growled through my teeth. "Please," I added, giving the word nearly ten syllables. I'd never imagined that such a nice word could sound as vicious as I had just made it.

"Well," he said, stepping out of one of his shadow portals, "since you asked nicely."

I already wanted to punch him in the face, and he'd only been in my sight for eight seconds. "I need your help," I spat out.

He smirked and seemed to look down his nose at me, his eyebrow raised. He was still at least a head taller than me, and was obviously taking full advantage of it. "Don't get me wrong, I'm flattered, but why?" He crossed his arms as he spoke.

"Last night I fought this weird dog-ish cat thing and my Keyblade showed up for it. It had this symbol on it," I added, handing him my notebook; I'd drawn the heart-and-star on the open page. He took it and looked at it, his eyes narrowing. "What was it?"

Axel studied the drawing for a little bit longer. "I'm surprised you're not better at drawing now that you've got Namine." He handed the notebook back to me. "They're called Hollows."

"_They?_" I asked. "There was only one."

"There's more," he answered, his usually joking tone now almost grave. "They're like the Heartless; they're everywhere. All over the worlds."

"What _are_ they?" I asked, forgetting my hatred for him in midst of the gravity of the situation. "I've never seen anything like them."

Axel took a step toward me and cast me a sideways glance off his shoulder. "You know, if you ever need a shoulder to cry on…" he started.

I scoffed and turned away, crossing my arms. "Just tell me what they are, Axel," I snapped. "I don't have time for games."

Axel tsked. "Ouch," he said, screwing up his face in mock pain. He stepped back, his arms open in a sort of surrendering gesture. "You know, I'm starting to think I'm not very welcome here, Kairi."

"No, no, you're welcome!" He couldn't leave now, not when I was so close to figuring out these Hollows.

"Hey! Kairi!"

I turned and saw Selphie running towards me, still in her scrubs. She was interning at the Radiant Garden General Hospital.

Axel shrugged. "Time to go," he said. He stepped forward so his face was right in front of mine, and he put a finger under my chin. "If you ever need anything, just call."

Before I could make an angry retort, he was gone in a smoky shadow.

"Kairi!" Selphie finally got to me. "Who was that guy you were with? He was kinda weird-looking…"

I smiled. No matter how clueless Selphie could be, she always said just what I needed to hear. Especially when she was insulting Axel.

"His name is Axel and he's a total jerk," I explained. "But he knows a lot. Here, come with me; I have a lot to tell you."


	7. Chapter 6: Taking Sora's Place

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 6

Selphie and I went to Seventh Heaven, our friend Tifa Lockhart's bar, and I told her everything that had happened, and all that Axel had told me.

"Wow," she said after I finished. "So are you gonna tell Sora? He can probably take care of this."

"I thought about that," I admitted. "But don't you think he's had enough to deal with? I mean with Xehanort and Xemnas and all. I think he deserves a normal life, don't you?"

"Well, yeah," Selphie agreed. "But it's kinda his job, Kairi. I mean, he's Sora. Who else can do what, Donald, and Goofy did?"

I couldn't help but think she was right. It wasn't fair! He should be able to just worry about himself for once, not the fate of all the worlds. But Selphie spoke the cold, hard truth. Who could take their place?

And then it hit me. "We can," I said, hardly thinking before I spoke.

"_What?_" Selphie looked at me like I was crazy. "Kairi, I love you to death, but this is one of your not-so-smart moments."

"Think about it!" I smiled, getting excited. "Remember when we took lessons from Sora after he and Riku killed Xemnas? I got really good at magic while training with Donald, and Goofy taught you defense. You were so good! It can't be that hard to remember, right?"

"Okay, so I've got Goofy's spot, and you'll take Donald's," Selphie replied, entertaining the idea. "But who'll be the new Sora?"

I thought about that for a moment. "It has to be someone who doesn't know Sora."

Selphie sighed. "_Everybody_ knows Sora, Kairi!" she said, exasperated.

I set my jaw. "Well, we don't need a Sora, anyway! We're good enough, right?"

"Okay..." Selphie sounded doubtful, but had no time to continue.

_~Axel's Theme playing~_

Screams could be heard outside, and people started to barrel in through the door, trying to escape whatever it was that was scaring them badly.

I cast a glance at Selphie, who swallowed. "Let's go," I said.

We ran outside and I nearly stopped in my tracks.

At least thirty-five Hollows ran amuk around Bastion Square, killing and/or scaring any people still left outside.

"Oh god," Selphie whispered, and suddenly her big yellow-and-pink heart shield appeared in her hands with the sound of the flutter of wings.

I smiled at her and my Keyblade manifested in my right hand. "Let's see how good we are at this, huh?"

Selphie nodded, her eyes narrowing as she locked on a Hollow to her right.

Almost all at the same moment, they saw us. The three closest to me came at me, but they soon faded as I summoned Thunder. I jumped into the fray, Selphie by my side, and used Fire, making the Hollows closest to me fade on contact. I smiled. I'd forgotten how much I loved the effectiveness of magic.

Selphie was having a little trouble. Her Hollow knocked her backwards, and as she stumbled. I yelled, "Aim for heart-and-star thing!"

She nodded and ran at it, her elbows locked as she pushed the sheild into its symbol. It was launched into the air, and faded before it hit the ground.

I was caught off guard as a Hollow slashed my cheek. I jumped in midair back to it and stabbed it in the heart symbol, then did the same with another, and soon another.

But I soon realized that they were doing better than Selphie and me. We'd only defeated twelve of the thirty-five, and more seemed to be showing up everywhere.

"Kairi!" Selphie called, knocking an attacking Hollow back a few feet. "I dont think I can do this much longer!"

I ground my teeth ant sent ice hurling at one, two, three, four Hollows surrounding me. I was running out of MP, and - I checked my pouch - I didn't have any Ethers. "Selphie, I need an Ether!" I parried a Hollow's attack, then cut it and dodged another overly long arm aimed for my stomach.

"I don't have any!" she cried, jumping back and ducking away from two Hollows. She cast me a frightened glance. "We have to get out of here!"

I knew she was right, but I didn't want to fail Sora. I couldn't believe I wasn't good enough! But I knew that I couldn't win this. "Alright, run!"

We turned around to go back to Tifa's bar, and found ourselves surrounded.

"Kairi..." Selphie said, terror in her eyes.

"I know." I gripped my Keyblade. If I was going down, I was gonna put up a fight.

"I don't want this to be it," Selphie whined, tearing up. "We need help."

"There's no to help us this time, Selphie," I said, my voice a monotone.

_"If you ever need anything, just call."_

My eyes widened and I crossed the Keyblade in front of me and Selphie as a Hollow jumped toward us, fangs shining. I closed my eyes tightly, yelling one word strangely in my head.

_Axel!_

I heard a whooshing sound, a yelp, and a _thump_. I opened my eyes, hoping - and also dreading - to see the person who saved me.

Axel stood in front of me, lazily spinning his circular weapons in his hands. He looked over his shoulder and gave me a crooked smile. "You called?"


	8. Chapter 7: Recruiting the Enemy

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 7

_~Axel's Theme playing~_

I'd never been so relieved to see someone I hated.

"Axel, wha -" I started. I was baffled at how he'd known to come, that we were even in trouble. But no matter how he knew, I was elated that he was here now.

"We'll talk later, princess," he promised, referring sarcastically to the fact that I was one of the Seven Princesses needed to open the door to Kingdom Hearts. "I think right now we've got bigger problems."

I ignored my urge to snap at him and nodded in agreement. Staying alive was definately more important.

His eyebrows fell over his eyes, giving him a dangerous, intimidating air around him. He looked back at the Hollows, and those closest to him seemed to tense. One even took a step back.

And then everything sped up. Axel gave me and Ether, and went right in the middle of the crowd of Hollows. His weapons glowed with fire, and with every swipe, he took out at least five Hollows.

I gave myself a Potion while the demons were focused on Axel, then realized I was out of items, and couldn't very well go through my stock in the middle of a battle, especially one like this. What was I gonna do about Selphie? She stood beside me, trying very hard to hold up her sheild and look like she could defend herself, a determined look on her face.

"Kairi, Cure Selphie!" Axel commanded, blasting a Hollow with fire, using his weapons like a gun.

Why hadn't I thought of that? Angry at myself, I cast Cure on Selphie, who instantly straightened and flashed me a smile of gratitude. She ran at the crowd of shadows and rammed two simultaneously, her strength returned.

I pushed away my disappointment and cast Fire around me, slashing through the Hollows that didn't immediately disintegrate on contact with the magic. Shortly after, I was next to Axel, stabbing a fleeing Hollow in the back.

He glanced down at the Fire. "Hey, that's my thing!" he joked, giving me a disapproving look, with a slight smile.

"Well, you're just gonna have to share!" I replied, smirking back. I saw him raise an eyebrow at me, as if he was surprised, and I laughed.

"Are you having _fun_?" he asked, his voice shrouded in disbelief.

I actually didn't know. The last time I felt like this was when I was racing across the beach of Destiny Islands with Sora and Riku, before all of this had happened. "You know," I said, and smiled at him, "I think I am."

Axel slashed through three more Hollows. "Well if you're getting your kicks from fighting, you're not the Kairi I know." He grinned and gave me a look that was begging for me to argue with him.

My smile faded, and I stabbed another Hollow, then cast Blizzard on a few others. "You never knew me, Axel," I growled. "Don't start talking like you ever did."

After that, he went quiet, the only sounds coming from him the crackling of his fire and swishing of his blades against the wind and shadows.

I grit my teeth together, putting all my anger into my Keyblade. How _dare_ he start talking like he knows how I think? That asshole never knew the first thing about me!

_~Missing You playing~_

_"Let me go!" I screamed, wriggling in Axel's arms. For a skinny guy, he was really strong!_

_He tightened his arms around me, almost getting completely rid of the air in my lungs. "You're really not making this easy," he complained, his voice scruffy from being so tense._

_"Let me _go_!" I bent my head down at a very awkward angle and sunk my teeth past his cloak and into his arm. I was pretty sure I tasted blood._

_He groaned in pain and grabbed my hair and twisted my head back. He kicked open a door, then kicked it shut, and threw me to the ground in a completely white room. I slid a few feet across the slick tile floor, and lay there for a minute. My head was throbbing, and his loud footsteps didn't help much..._

_Axel pulled his sleeve back to examine his arm. I'd bitten through the skin, and now a few thin lines of blood traveled down the width of his arm, dropping to the floor. I couldn't help but notice how beautiful that red looked against the white._

_"Bitch!" he spat under his breath. He tapped my face with his boot. "Get up!"_

_I almost refused, but I figured it would be better for me if I did what he said. So I stood._

_He slapped me hard across my face, and I stumbled back a few steps. I tasted blood in my mouth again, but I was sure it wasn't his this time. He was in front of me almost instantly, and he grabbed my hair again, forcing me to look up at him. He was so much taller than me, and it hurt at the angle he was making my neck bend._

_"Alright, _princess_," he snarled, dragging out the word, "I only need one thing from you. It's really easy; just a question, okay?"_

_I nodded as much as possible, trying my best not to tear up. God, it felt like he was gonna snap my neck!_

_"Good." He almost smiled, but lost it as soon as he asked his question. "Where's Roxas?"_

_"Roxas?" I asked. I didn't know any Roxas..._

_"Yes, Roxas!" he yelled, bending my head back even further. When I tried to twist out of his grip, he grabbed my arm, almost crunching the bone. "Where is he?!"_

_"I don't know!" I cried. I remembered Roxas - I'd spoken to him once, when I'd remembered Sora's name, on the beach with Selphie - but I had no idea where he was._

_"You don't know," he repeated slowly, then lifted me off my feet by my hair. I almost screamed, but bit my lip so he wouldn't have the satisfaction. "Well, for your sake, Kairi, I hope you find out soon."_

_He dropped me, and I fell like a limp doll to the ground. "I hope you're not expecting any food, princess!" He laughed as he stomped out, then slammed the door._

_~Kairi's Theme playing~_

Finally, we'd killed the last of the Hollows, and it didn't look like there were any more coming. Selphie pulled me aside while Axel pulled out a Potion for himself.

"Kairi, I know who can be strength!" she said, looking excited.

I almost asked who, but then I knew. "Axel?!" I asked, lowering my voice so he wouldn't hear. "You're crazy, Selph, he's not coming with us."

"But you saw how amazing he was out there!" she protested. "Come on, Kairi, we would've been dead if he hadn't come along!"

"Selphie, remember when I got kidnapped from Destiny Islands?"

"Yeah."

"That's the guy. The guy who kidnapped me."

"No way!"

"Yes! I have a lot of bad memories with that asshole, and I don't really feel like taking a trip down memory lane."

"But Kairi," she whined. "If we're gonna save the worlds, we _have_ to have him! Besides, maybe he's changed! You saw how he saved us; he can't be all bad!"

I sighed. Maybe she was right. And if she wasn't, then they both could probably kill him. Probably. "Fine," I said, finally. "But I still don't trust him."

"What's this, a group meeting?" Axel came over and draped his arms casually over both our shoulders. "How cliche."

I pushed away from him, as did Selphie. "We want you with us," I stated plainly, making sure I sounded like I hated the idea.

He raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"We're gonna save all the other worlds!" Selphie said happily, smiling. "Just like Sora, Donald, and Goofy!"

Axel laughed at this. "Oh really? So, who's gonna be who?"

"I'm Goofy, and she's Donald!" Selphie gestured to herself, then me. I turned my head away, embarrassed.

Axel still smiled, but this time he seemed to have a more sinister look to him. "Then I'd be Sora, right?" Selphie nodded, and he turned his eyes to me. "Then I guess this is mine, then!" He swiped the Keyblade out of my hands.

I didn't even bother being angry. I just held out my hand and, in a flash of light, the Keyblade disappeared from his hands and into mine. Me and Selphie's weapons disappeared like candle flames slowly going out, and Axel's crawled up on his arms like barbed wire. I glared him straight in the eye. "Are you coming or not?"

"You're serious?" he asked, and I only nodded. He shrugged, looking nonchalant. "What the hell, why not? It's not like I've got anything better to do."

"Cool!" Selphie smiled.

_Hooo-ray,_ I thought sarcastically, crossing my arms.

"Um, excuse me?"


	9. Chapter 8: First Boss Battle

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 8

_~Kairi's Theme playing~_

We all turned and looked at the woman who spoke. She was tall and blonde, with fair skin and deep blue eyes. She was model gorgeous, and I found myself feeling envious of her with just one look.

"What do you want?" Axel asked, obviously not as fazed by her beauty as I was.

She shifted her feet timidly. "I'm Stephanie," she introduced. "I was just wondering if you were the people who killed all those feinds?"

"Yep, that's us!" Selphie said proudly.

Stephanie raised her eyebrows in a look that was probably supposed to be surprise. "Really?" she asked, her voice sounding like the tone a parent uses when they don't believe a lie from their child, but is humoring themselves by pretending to believe them. "How?"

"We killed 'em," Axel said, glaring at the woman. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Axel, be nice," I snapped under my breath. When he didn't acknowledge me, I smiled brightly at Stephanie and dragged him to the side. "Excuse us for a moment."

Stephanie nodded, the slightest hint of an amused smile on her face.

"What's your problem?" I asked him bluntly.

He still didn't look at me; he was tense, all his attention focused on her. "She's a Hollow," he said quietly, as if he was afraid she'd hear.

"Are you crazy or just stupid?" I gestured to her. "Does she look _anything_ like those Wolves?" I'd decided to call them Wolves to distinguish them from the other types of Hollows that were bound to show up.

"Look at her necklace," he replied, ignoring my question.

I sighed. Maybe if I humored him he'd stop being so stupid. I turned around and looked past Selphie - who was having a conversation with Stephanie - at the woman's necklace.

It looked just like the symbol on the Wolves, but the star was silver.

I whipped back around to face Axel. "Oh my god, she's a Hollow!"

"Glad we're finally on the same page," he said, looking at me like I was the stupid one now.

"But how?" I asked, confused. "She looks just like a normal girl."

"Heartless have hearts, but no souls," he began to explain. "Nobodies have souls, but no hearts. Have you ever wondered what happens when they don't have either?"

Oh. I never really did think of that.

"Hollows are just what they're called - hollow. An empty body with no heart or soul. The ones who used to have strong hearts and souls get turned into Hollows that still keep their human form. That's what Stephanie is. Got it memorized?"

So he still used his old catch phrase. "But how come her star is silver?" I questioned. "All the others had black stars."

"When Hollows kill, their stars turn black, and they can never be human again."

"Then why do they kill people?"

"To be human."

"Hey!" Selphie called. "You guys okay back there?"

"We're coming, hold on!" I shouted back. I sent a "we'll talk about it later" look at Axel, and he nodded. We walked back.

Once I got close enough to Stephanie, the Keyblade appeared in my hands. "Stephanie, I think it's time for you to go." I glared her in the eyes and was unnerved to see that she had no pupils.

_~Axel's Theme playing~_

Her demeanor suddenly changed as she realized she'd been found out. It was strange; nothing was different about her, but I could feel her rage. "How dare you speak to me like that," she spoke, with a force that made me surprised she wasn't screaming. "After you've ruined my chances of getting a soul. A heart, at the least."

Selphie looked the most surprised. Not even a minute ago she'd been talking to this woman as if they were old friends. But as soon as she spotted the necklace, he eyes went hard, and her sheild appeared in her hand. Unlike me, she didn't need an explanation.

"You're never gonna kill anyone ever again!" I yelled, and ran at her, sword raised.

She seemed to jump on a patch of air, kneel, and glide away from me. "You'll have to do better than that," she said, monotonically. Of course, no heart, no emotions!

"How 'bout this?" Axel hit her with the bullet-like fire I'd seen before. It seemed effective, but it didn't knock her down.

She flitted her wrists in his direction, and blades of air cut through his cloak and skin. With each one, he was pushed back a step, and on the last he was knocked to the ground.

I took my eyes from Axel to Stephanie, and knew that we had just gotten ourselves into some deep shit.

_Okay, since I can't hit her..._ I cast Blizzard, sending five shards of ice at her. It got rid of some health, but wasn't too effective. _Fire won't work well..._ Then I had it. I held my Keyblade in the air and summoned Lightning.

Perfect! It knocked her down. I ran to her and started completely wailing on her, as did Selphie and Axel. According to the Scan bar on the base of my blade, just by that we'd knocked a whole bar off her health. Good. Now I just had to do it one more time.

She stood and swept us all away with a big gust of wind. She jumped back on the her patch of air and flew in a giant circle around the battlefield. None of us could get a decent hit on her! She sent wave after wave of cutting wind at us, and pretty soon it became a race to see how fast I could cast Cure on everyone. It wasn't working, and I only had enough MP left for one spell. I had an idea, but it was a long shot if it was even gonna work. "Axel, Mega-Potion, now!" I cried, just before she sent another gust of wind at us.

Right after the attack, we were all healed from the point of near death by Axel's Mega-Potion, and I finally had enough time. "Thunder!" I shouted, thrusting my blade into the air.

She was knocked down by the sudden blast, and I smiled. Good. We were all there, wailing on her, until finally, with one last slash on my part, she was dead.

_~Kairi's Theme playing~_

She looked at us, and a cloud seemed to lift from her eyes. A black spot appeared in the middle - her pupils. Her face was filled with wonder. "I can feel -" She was cut off as she gasped her breath, then fell back, her eyes closing, a look of peace on her face. She faded before she could hit the ground.

I was too happy to be confused. I'd just killed my first Boss! Sora had always had some crazy stories to tell about his Boss Battles, and now I finally had one to tell!

But I had to push that thought aside. No, I couldn't tell him. I'd have to leave, like he did.

Stephanie's necklace, which had just been laying on the ground, suddenly started glowing, and lifted into the sky. I felt a wind start to stir around me, and I found myself looking out into a sunset on Destiny Islands. I was on the beach, standing in a drawing of a crown in the sand. I looked at the orange sun; the necklace had created a keyhole in it. I smiled and twirled my blade, pointing it directly at the keyhole. It felt natural; I loved it. A blue light appeared at the end of the Keyblade, and shot into the keyhole.

The scene disappeared, and I was back, standing in Bastion Square with Selphie and Axel. I smiled at them. "Radiant Garden's safe now," I said, almost in a dream-like tone. "We can go."

Selphie smiled brightly, but had a hint of sadness in her eyes. I knew how she felt. We'd had to leave Destiny Islands five years ago, and now we were leaving our new home, to go to places we'd only heard of. It was exciting, but also frightening. And with the knowledge that we might never come home again, it was a little sad.

Axel sensed our despair. "Come on, let's get going." He opened a shadow portal. "We can't waste any time; other worlds are in trouble."

I hesitated, then nodded. He was right. We couldn't let the other worlds suffer just because we were scared. I took Selphie's hand in mine, shot her an encouraging look, and stepped into the shadows, where who knows what awaited us.


	10. Chapter 9: Twilight Town

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 9

_~A Walk in Andante playing~_

I stepped out of the shadows after Axel, Selphie trailing hesitantly behind me, still clinging to my hand like a frightened toddler.

I looked around, trying to guess where we were without Axel telling me. Everything seemed to be a shade of orange; the buildings, the street. I couldn't hear any cars, but a loud train whistle could be heard in the distance.

I smiled brightly as I recognized the world.

"Where are we?" Selphie asked timidly, looking around.

"Twilight Town!" I exclaimed excitedly. I ran down the street, Selphie hurriedly trying to catch up. Axel didn't bother; he knew where I was going.

From the signs I saw that we were on Market Street. I headed south, then into the back alley. I hoped they'd still be there, even after five years. _Please let them remember me,_ I thought. _I know_ I _remember_ them.

I took a deep breath, then pushed past the worn curtain to the Secret Spot.

Three pairs of eyes immediately locked on me and Selphie. They looked wary. Did they remember me?

"Hayner?" I asked tentatively. "Pence? Olette?"

Their doubt instantly disappeared at the sound of my voice. "Kairi!" Olette squealed, and ran up to hug me.

I returned her embrace happily. "Olette!" I said just as excitedly. "How are you?"

Hayner walked up behind her and put his arm around her waist. "We're doin' pretty good," he answered for her, smiling.

"Y-You're _together?_" I stuttered, and Olette nodded, beaming.

"Hey, Kairi," Pence said, walking up. "Remember me?"

"Pence!" I hugged him and grinned. "You haven't changed a bit."

He shrugged, blushing bashfully.

"But you have!" Olette said, jumping back into the conversation. "Look at you! You're gorgeous!"

"So are you, babe," Hayner said, taking the chance to look like a good boyfriend, and kissed the top of her head. She giggled and he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind affectionately.

Their cuteness was almost overwhelming; I couldn't help smiling. Then I heard a tiny laugh from behind me. I turned and saw I'd left Selphie standing by herself at the worn curtain entrance, shifting her feet anxiously and watching the scene.

"Oh, guys!" I grabbed her wrist and dragged her into the middle. "This is my friend Selphie."

"Hi, Selphie," they all said together, as if we were in an AA group meeting.

She smiled and was soon the subject of conversation.

We had been talking, all five of us, for what seemed like hours, just thinking of new, random subjects to explore. I never got bored listening to their stories, and there were so many! Olette and Hayner had been together for almost a year, and were looking forward to their anniversary. Olette already had his present, she'd told me secretly, and I'd smiled. Of course she did. She had always been so organized, at least that was the impression I'd gotten from the few hours I'd spent with the gang. Turns out I was right.

Pence was now the conductor of the local train. I laughed when he told me and Selph, just because I could picture it so easily! They'd told me how they had tried so many times to get train tickets to go to the beach, but something always happened that prevented them from going. As far as I could tell, they still didn't remember Roxas. It made me wonder, was this place still just a computer program? Was there some file I could access to restore their memories? It was sort of depressing think of them as nothing more than files, so I pushed the thought out of my mind and listened to Hayner talk about his present life.

He taught at a sort of dojo on the edge of town. I was happy to hear he was expressing his love for fighting in a healthy way. Olette was a few buildings down, working as the secretary to the major.

It was nice to hear that they were all living successful, happy lives. And that there were no signs of Hollows. _I guess Axel had it wrong,_ I thought. _Maybe we should check out another world instead._

At that precise moment, Axel walked through the entrance, the curtain falling back to its place in ruffles, as if suffering from the indignity of being pushed aside so carelessly. He said nothing, just did his upwards nod to acknowledge our prescence.

All conversation had stopped, and the three pairs of eyes turned to him. Selphie smiled at him, welcoming him, then turned back, and was unnerved to see everyone else staring at him with such intensity.

I blinked, practically feeling the suspicion thicken around me.

And then I remembered. They'd all tried to protect me when Axel had come to Twilight Town to capture me. They'd all been scared and hurt by him, and apparently they hadn't forgotten it.

And then it was four angry pairs of eyes glaring at him.

He raised a brow in confusion, in the cocky way he always did. "What?" he asked, taking time to look each one of us in the eye, as if hoping that making eye contact would make us look away, as if this was a high school hallway.

Hayner stood up, not saying anything, and walked up to him. He was still shorter than him - why was Axel taller than everyone? - but only by a little, so it wasn't that embarrassing. And then, without any warning but the clenching of his teeth, he punched Axel in the face.

Axel stumbled back, his hand up somewhere near his face in surprise. He glared at Hayner and wiped blood from his lip on the back of his hand. "What the _fuck_ is your problem?" he growled.

"Get out of here," was all he said back. He ran at Axel again, fists clenched.

It meant a lot to me that Hayner would go to such lengths to protect me from Axel, but he was totally gonna get his ass kicked.

And man, was I right.

Axel stopped Hayner in his tracks with a lazy punch in his stomach. It appeared to be effortless, but a trickle of blood ran down the corner of Hayner's mouth. Axel moved his hand back and tripped him so he fell forward, but before he could fall hardly three inches, he caught him with a punch under his jaw. Hayner went flying back, and landed on the ground. Olette was there instantly, helping him sit up and whispering comforting words to him.

Axel wiped more blood from his mouth. "Asshole," he muttered under his breath. Then louder, he said, mostly to me, "Fuck this, there's obviously nothing going on."

"We're gonna stay here for a little while, Axel," I informed him, making sure he had no window of opportunity to put in his opinion. I sent him a look that dared him to disagree with me.

He merely scoffed. "Alright, well, when you're done with your little tea party here, come find me, and maybe we can save some other people from being _murdered_." He stalked off, every move he made filled with tension and anger.

I watched him leave, and couldn't help but feel guilty. It was hard, but I shoved the feeling to the side. If Twilight Town wasn't in any danger, then surely everywhere else was safe, right? At least for a little while.

Right?


	11. Chapter 10: Storytime

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 10

_~Organization XIII playing~_

I kneeled down next to Olette to help Hayner. "Are you okay?" I asked him, worry making my voice quiet.

He gave a short, slow nod, and exhaled heavily.

I sighed, closing my eyes. I was relieved that he was okay, but then again, coming from Hayner that didn't mean much, especially in front of Olette. He was probably putting on a tough guy act to make himself look cool. He'd never grow up.

"Selphie, can you take care of him?" I asked, and she nodded, already walking over, with Pence trailing behind, looking worried. "I don't think Cure will do the trick." I stood and stepped to the side to make room for her. I cast Cure anyways, letting it help as much as it would. His breathing became steadier and the tension at his brow all but disappeared.

I stepped back and leaned on the wall, knowing that I'd done as much as I could. I felt a little bad about seemingly leaving Hayner, but I didn't want to get in anyone's way.

Olette stood up and made her way over to me. She sat down on a wood box with Shipping stamped on it diagonally in big bold black letters and looked at me intently. "That was that man from five years ago, right?" she asked, her voice strangely flat. Under the circumstances, I could completely understand her anger, but it was odd hearing her speak like that, instead of her usual, chipper tone.

I nodded. "Yeah," I replied shortly. _And I'm stuck with him until we fix this Hollow problem,_ I continued in my head, but decided it was best to keep my mouth shut. No need to make her even angrier.

"Why is he here?"

I sighed. That was the perfect wrong question to ask. "It's... complicated," I finally said, hoping she'd leave it like that. Complicated. I wanted it to stay that way. It gave my mind something else to focus on besides how much I wanted Axel dead.

She did just what I'd hoped. She asked a completely different question, one that I _could_ answer. "What happened then? I mean after he took you from here?"

My first instict was to be angry at her for even asking, and tell her that I would never answer that, because I never wanted to relive that time I'd spent with him. But then I remembered that this was my friend, who hated him just as much as I did. Why not give her a new reason to loathe him?

_~I Don't Believe You - P!nk playing~_

_A soft birdsong woke me, and for the third morning in a row I was blinded momentarily by all the white that surrounded me. Immediately, my stomach began screaming at me, making me curl into myself on the floor. I ducked my head between my knees and waited for the pain to subside, as it always did after a little while._

_Finally, when I was able to breathe without shutting my eyes in agony, I stood slowly and made my way over to the window. There was no latch to open it, and no matter how hard I pulled, the panes wouldn't slide. But even the smallest glimpse of sunshine was appreciated. Even the sun didn't seem as bright as this room._

_The bird was a canary, a yellow one, perched on a branch of a blossoming tree just outside the window. If I could've managed to pull the window open, I could've reached out and touched that bird. The very thought brought a smile to the corners of my lips._

_I licked my lips and whistled back to the beautiful bird, and its head snapped to face me. It sung a little song to me, twitching its head from side to side, hopping from one branch to another, until it stopped, looking at me almost expectantly, as if waiting for me to answer._

_I rolled up my tongue to whistle back, but it only came out as a high-pitched exhale. I tried again, again, again, but soon the bird shivered and flew away, leaving only shaking leaves and flowers on the thin fingerlike branches where it was before._

_I tried to whistle one more time, a tear rolling down my cheek. It was no use, I realized after what seemed like a half hour. That bird, the one symbol of my freedom, of the outside, had left me, and I was stuck here once again._

_My stomach growled, pulling me back roughly to the white hell I stood in. My knees gave as I gritted my teeth from the pain, and I fell to the ground, kneeling, hunching over, clutching my arms around my waist so hard that it felt like I might suffocate myself. My stomach turned, practically somersaulting inside me, and I couldn't stop myself from retching, and vomiting onto the floor._

_It hurt when I breathed now, as the air passed through my dry, burning throat. My tongue tasted like blood, and my mouth felt drier than it ever had before, even more so than when I got dehydrated in second grade from staying outside playing minigolf for seven hours without water, and tried to drink water from the shoreline. Not my best idea._

_The door opened, then shut, and I didn't even have to look to know that it was Axel._

_He walked up to me and threw something at my feet. "Hungry?" he asked, obviously not interested in hearing my response._

_I looked to my left, where he stood, and saw two pieces of stale, dry, crumbling wheat bread, and a half-eaten apple. The sight was even more beautiful than that of the canary I'd just seen._

_I grabbed the food as if it were my life - which it sort of was in this instance - and inhaled it, almost throwing up again from eating so fast. The bread turned to dust in my mouth, and the apple was soft and bruised, but I ate it nonetheless, and found it delicious._

_Axel regarded me silently, taking out a cigarette and holding it between his teeth before making the end burst into combustion. The smoke disgusted me, but I tried not to cough, lest I make him even angrier than he seemed to be at present._

_I couldn't stop myself; it was reflex. I coughed once, twice, then seemed to fall into a fit. The more I coughed, I got a piece of bread dust caught in the back of my throat, and then I coughed on that _and_ the smoke._

_Of course, I caught Axel's attention. He smirked at me. "What, princess doesn't smoke?" he asked, leaning down slightly, condescendingly. He shoved me forward with the bottom of his boot, and I landed on my stomach. I shut my mouth tightly and swallowed the bile that had risen from the impact. He kneeled next to me, on my left side, and held the cigarette between two fingers, waving it in the air, letting the smell of the smoke fill the room. "Better get used to it," he said, and ground the tip of it to the bare skin of my back. He knew I was holding back a scream; he smiled wider and made the fire flare, blackening my skin._

_I couldn't hold it back any longer. I closed my eyes tightly, tears streaming down my face, and screamed._

Olette's eyes were wide by the time I'd finished. Her mouth hung agape, and her expression was a mixture of sorrow, hopelessness, fury, and disgust. "Oh my god," was all she could manage to say.

"And that's not even a day in the life," I said, adding to her amazement - if you could call it that.

"Kairi!"

I turned to the curtain. I hadn't even realized that Selphie was done with Hayner, but the thought was soon pushed out of my head because of the look on her face. "What is it?" I asked, my heart lifting. I hoped it was what I hoped it was.

"You better get out here," she answered. "I don't know what this thing is."

I nodded and sent a look to Olette.

She nodded. "It's fine, we'll stay here. We'll talk soon."

I smiled, and followed Selphie outside.


	12. Chapter 11: Sora, Roxas, and Max

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 11

_~Dearly Beloved playing~_

The man smiled, but I couldn't see anything of his face above his mouth. But strangely, I knew for a fact that his smile wasn't benign. I furrowed my brow in suspicion as I gazed at him, and Sora held his hand near mine, ready to pull me behind him and protect me if the need arose. Obviously he could feel it, too: the malice radiating off the man in front of us.

"Kairi," he said, his grin getting wider as my name slithered through his teeth. He held out his hands in a sort of greeting gesture, but I didn't buy it for a minute. "It's been too long."

The voice was all too familiar, and sent shivers down my spine. I tried to keep my own voice sounding strong, completely conflicting with the fear I felt weighing down on my chest. The name felt like poison on my lips, but I said it nonetheless. "Axel."

I felt Sora's hand twitch. I'd never told him what had happened between Axel and me all those years ago, however he'd told me about how he had died for him and told him where to find me, and gave him means to get to the World that Never Was. He still thought Axel was a good guy. Boy, did he have it wrong.

Axel tossed his hood back carelessly, exposing his face to the two of us. He hadn't changed in five years, but I suppose that would be normal for a Nobody. His eyes held the same patronizing arrogance that had sent fear and anger into me so long ago; I felt those same emotions now as I met the cat-like pupils of his with my own. "So you _do _remember me," he said. His words seemed to blend together, as if he was slurring while drunk.

"Unfortunately," I replied coldly.

_~Axel's Theme playing~_

I rushed outsite to Market Street after Selphie, wondering what it could be that warranted such distress on her part. Breifly I thought that maybe Axel was having a pyromaniatic (is that even a word?) fit of rage, but I didn't hear crackling or his arrogant, over-confident laugh anywhere, so I slashed it off my list.

Instead I heard howling, growling, and screaming. Doors slamming, windows shutting, feet pounding.

And strangely, a sound so loud and high-pitched that every other noise polluting the air seemed almost quiet in comparison.

A terrible, ear-splitting screeching made me grit my teeth; I felt like my ears were bleeding.

A black creature rose, wearing a red cloth that tied around its midsection, and hung down to the talons where its feet should be. Its head looked practically human, except for where its feet should be. It's head looked practically human, except for the fangs protruding from its mouth with no lips, its way-too-pointy nose, and those almond-shaped glowing yellow eyes under short, bright red eyebrows that matched its unruly, spiked hair. Its fingers were basically overly long claws, sort of like its feet. It, just like the Wolves, - which seemed to be popping up around us everywhere from nowhere - was made up of that black smoky shadow. The wings growing from its back seemed to be almost transparent, wisping up into the sky with each downbeat.

I smiled. I didn't know why but, like Axel had said before, I really enjoyed fighting these things. Maybe I wans't the good girl that I used to be anymore.

Whatever the reason, it made killing all of them a lot easier. Before I did anything, I sent a spark of fire into the air above the buildings, hoping Axel would know what I meant.

Taking advantage of the extra time, the Harpie - it's now called a Harpie, as decided by me - dropped down and snatched my Keyblade from my hands. I sighed; it would have to do better than that. I held out my hand, and the blade appeared in it, surprising the Harpie. Well, it _would've_ been surprised if it had any emotions to begin with, bit I overlooked that, since I was not fighting two Wolves at once. I knocked one back felt my heart plummet, yet rise at the same time; they must be tougher in each world. I heard a low growl behind me, but Selphie charged at it, saving me. I'd thank her later; I had bigger things to worry about.

With one last slash, the Wolf was dead, and fading back into darkness, leaving the Harpie on ts own. I glared at it, happy that I'd get to kill it. I jumped up against a building once, twice, until finally I was on the rooftops and at its level.

It screeched at me again, and I tried to ignore how it melted my brain. I lashed out at it with my blade, but it dodged and kicked me back, slashing at my face with its talons.

I cursed as I lost my balance. I needed to be faster. _Sora could've already killed this thing,_ I thought.

I jumped up as high as I could - which really isn't that high - and slashed at the small heart symbol on its forehead. I missed, but it was just as good, for I cut a horizontal line across its eyes.

It screeched again nd swiped at me blindly with its clawed hands. I landed safely on the roof ad ug my heels in between the shingles before jumping again. Maybe _now_ I'd have a chance.

I slashed at it again, and again, and again, and found that the more I hurt it, the longer I stayed in the air. I smiled. _Perfect,_ I thought, landing, then jumping once again. I repeated this, time after time, until the Harpie screeched painfully one more time as it faded, the shadows reaching up to the sky.

_~Roxas's Theme playing~_

I sighed and jumped off the roof, landing tiredly on one knee. If I'd hurt myself, I couldn't tell; I was too exhausted.

Axel sauntered into the street, hands in his pockets, a lazy and bored expression on his face. "What'd I miss?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

I sent him an annoyed look. "Nevermind, we didn't need you anyway."

He scoffed and opened his mouth to say something when we heard a small voice to our left.

"Hello."

Selphie, Axel, and I whipped around to see a boy, maybe nine years old. He had curly brown hair an dark brown eyes, with a small build and pale skin. He wore a black hoodie over a wrinkled white t-shirt and khaki shorts with black and white DCs. He would be incredibly cute if not for the dark circles under his eyes and the almost freaky blank expression on his face.

I was struck by how adorable he was, ignoring the creepy aura surrounding the child. "Uh, hi," I said, my voice instinctively rising an octave, trying to sound sweet and welcoming. I didn't want to scare the poor kid away. I hoped he hadn't seen me kill those Hollows.

His eyes moved from me, to Selphie, then rested on Axel. He looked thoughtful. "You are... Axel, right?"

Axel immediately looked suspicious. "Why?" he asked, an sudden edge to his usual lazy tone.

"I'm Max," the child introduced, as if it explained everything. Axel face didn't change, so it obviously didn't mean a thing to him. He walked up to Axel, who flinched away, but didn't move. He rested his fingers lightly on the back of Axel's palm and closed his eyes.

Axel looked down his nose at the kid, one eyebrow raised and a strange mix of confusion and distaste on his face. Then, suddenly, surprise.

Max opened his eyes and took a few hasty steps back. "Roxas," he said.

Axel made a sort of growling sound in his throat and looked at the boy like he was literally considering tearing off his limbs.

I looked behind Max to see someone walking up to us. He seemed to be made up of the same shadow as the Hollows, but had a strangely human way about him. His spiky hair looked really familiar for some reason...

"Roxas," I whispered, the realization dawning on me. But... it wasn't him. Roxas had merged with Sora years ago! He couldn't be a Hollow!

Unless...

My eyes widened. "No," I breathed. This was not happening. Sora could _not_ be a Heartless! Not again! "_NO!_" I screamed, slashing wildly at the Shadow Roxas.

After I hit it countless times, it parried my attack and jabbed me with the hilt of his Keyblade, sending me tumbling back, clutching my stomach. I was up again just as soon as I hit the ground, raising my blade to hurt him more.

"Kairi!" Axel shot fire at Shadow Roxas, who dissolved on contact.

I fell as I missed my target, scraping my knees. Selphie was there in an instant, hugging me around my shoulders, letting me cry. "Sora's fine, Kairi," she whispered. "It wasn't real; it died too easily to be real."

I wanted so badly to believe her, and I was happy to find that there was no reason why she'd be wrong. She probably was right. Sora was alive back in Radiant Garden, and there was nothing to worry about. Besides, I'd already locked up Radian Garden. There was no way anything could attack Sora.

I sighed, and finally nodded. I said nothing as I stood up. Sora was fine. Everything was fine.

Time to lock up.


	13. Chapter 12: Through the Portal

A/N: Hey guys! It's axelkairi, of course. Hope you're liking my story so far! Sorry it's not too into the storyline yet; it's gonna be reeeeeaaaally long. Reviews would be lovely! Thanks for reading =)

**Disclaimer:** I figure I should do one of these sooner or later. I keep seeing them everywhere haha. Well, I sadly don't own Kingdom Hearts, and I wish I owned Axel, but no... He and Square Enix are still together... But my time will come, I assure you!

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 12

_~Kairi's Theme playing~_

I could feel the wind gathering around me feet and stood. Selphie jumped to her feet and moved out of the way, her eyes full of awe. I would've smiled if not for the horrible worry that was sitting painfully on my heart.

Axel watched me warily, as if he was waiting for me to break down.

I narrowed my eyes and gripped my Keyblade. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. He seemed surprised that I was glaring at him. Jerk, he wanted me to feel bad.

The wind was becoming impatient. I closed my eyes, glad to rid myself of the sight of his face, then opened them, and found myself, once again, on the beach of Destiny Islands, looking out into the sunset. Breifly I wondered how the Keyhole would appear without something like Stephanie's necklace, but I decided it didn't matter, since it appeared anyway, right at the same spot it was before. As the wind blew my hair to the side, I felt it blow away all my fear, my worries, my anger, and leave me calm. I exhaled, getting rid of any negative energy still left; I couldn't very well do something as powerful and happy as ridding a world of darkness with darkness in my heart.

I held out the Keyblade, grinning as I watched the thin blue light travel from the end of it into the depth of the Keyhole. The moment seemed to stretch on forever, and I reveled in the feeling of pure calm and light that engulfed my heart. I don't think I could ever get used to it.

All too soon, it was over, and I opened my eyes to see the orange buildings and street of Twilight Town. Selphie still stood behind me, but Axel was gone. Selphie was looking out in the direction of Tram Common with a sort of worried expression on her face.

"Selphie, what's wrong?" I asked, looking around. "Where's Axel?" Great, he probably ran off to do who-knows-what.

She shrugged, a look of complete loss on her face. "I don't know!" she answered, obviously taking this more seriously than I was. "He said something about finding Roxas, walked down the street - that way," she pointed out to Tram Common, "then disappeared in that weird shadow thing he does."

I sighed. "He probably went to the other Twilight Town," I answered, annoyed.

Selphie looked at me curiously. "What?"

"Uh..." I hesitated. "It's... _really_ hard to explain. I had a hard time following when Sora told me, and he'd actually _been_ there. Hearing it from me would just confuse you even more."

She looked skeptical. "'Kay...?"

I rolled my eyes. "You'll just have to see for yourself, okay?" I was actually sort of excited to see it myself. It sounded like something someone would see in a sci-fi movie; it'd be weird but cool to see something like that in real life.

"Alright, well, we gotta go now!" She grabbed my hand and tugged me slightly. "We gotta stop Axel before he gets hurt!"

I scoffed and pulled my hand away, but followed her nonetheless. "Why do you care?" I asked, sounding meaner than I wanted to.

Selphie shrugged again. "I don't really know," she answered truthfully. "It's just this feeling I have about him." She cast a glance at me over her shoulder. "He's a good person, Kairi."

I looked away, and she did as well. "Whatever," I muttered under my breath, and I heard her laugh quietly.

We'd searched Tram Common for nearly an hour before we gave up. There wasn't any way possibly to follow Axel to the other Twilight Town. We headed back to Hayner, Pence, and Olette, feeling pretty down and incompetent.

"Where's Axel?" Olette asked, unable to disguise the hate in her voice when she said his name. Once again, I felt sort of weird hearing her talk in any way except for her typical happy tone of voice.

I lifted my arms into the air as if I was willing the sky to answer her for me. "I have _no_ idea!" My hands rested on the sides of my skull, then slid down over my eyes as I sat on one of the wooden boxes.

I assumed the trio was staring at me, because Selphie stepped forward and explained. "He disappeared after we fought a sort of shadow version of Roxas," she said lightly, watching them intently, waiting for one of them to get a does-not-compute look on their face. "We think he went to the other Twilight Town looking for the real Roxas."

While the worlds were still connected, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had explained everything to the trio about Roxas and the twin Twilight Town. It took a while for them to get it, but they seemed to have some memories of Roxas that had never been deleted, so that made it easier. Also, their logic had added some things together even before SD&G told them about it.

"But Roxas is with Sora, right?" Pence asked. Hayner looked deep in thought, as did Olette, who was holding Hayner's hand, stroking his fingers absentmindedly. "Doesn't he know that?"

"He knows," I growled, massaging my temples. "He's just too goddamn stubborn to care."

There was a silence while everyone thought, then Hayner snapped his head up, an invisible lightbulb lighting up over his head. "You could probably get there from the old Mansion," he said, his calm voice contradicting the look of realization on his face.

"Yeah!" Pence chimed in. "There was always weird stuff going on there when Roxas or Sora was here! There's gotta be a way through there."

"Perfect!" Selphie smiled, and I raised my head. I'd actually sort of been hoping we wouldn't find a way. That way we could just go to the next world without him. Ignoring, of course, the fact that there was no way we could get off _this_ world without his help.

I stood up. "Alright, then, let's go," I said, my voice dripping with fake enthusiasm. They all seemed to buy it: they smiled and gladly led the way, talking amongst themselves of various rooms it could be in.

I heaved myself up and followed, as if I was being dragged with a rope around my waist. I could think of ten other things off the top of my head that I'd rather be doing than looking out for Axel, and most of them involved some form of either death or torture.

Hayner, Pence, and Olette led us down Market Street, through Tram Common, through a giant whole in the wall, navigated through the dark woods, and we finally ended up in the clearing in front of the old, decripit mansion that Sora had had so many stories about when he came back.

"There we go!" Olette said, stopping a few yards from the wrought-iron gate surrounding the abandoned property.

"Wait, you're not coming with us?" I asked, looking at the three of them back and forth. I wasn't sure I could do this without them, at least without complaining Selphie's ears off.

Hayner shrugged. "We can't. The programmers blocked it off from us, I guess. Every time we go near it, we end up walking the other direction, and don't even remember turning around."

Olette shuddered. "It got creepy after a while, so we just stopped getting too close."

I felt so bad. They'd all accepted that they were computer programs, but it still must've been a really hard thing to come to terms with. "We probably won't be back for a while," I admitted, saying the thing that no one wanted to hear out loud, but already knew.

Selphie, Olette, and Pence looked down. Olette kicked a rock and watched it tumble.

Hayner sighed. "I'm sorry, Kairi. You guys have to go on your own."

Selphie, of course, tried to lighten up the situation. "Well, at least we've got Axel, right?"

"Oh, yes!" I exclaimed sarcastically, a little more bitchy than I'd meant it to be. "At _least_ we've got _Axel!_" Completely forgetting about the sad scene with the trio, I stomped through the gate, Selphie following.

By the time we were in the Main Hall, I felt like a complete bitch. God, if Axel hadn't come back alive - how did he do that, by the way? - then I wouldn't be being so mean to all my friends! I sighed heavily. "I'm sorry about that, Selphie."

"It's okay," she said, ever smiling.

"No, it's not," I protested. "I shouldn't be letting him get to me like this. Besides, if we're gonna save the worlds, we _need_ him. And I'm just gonna have to get used to that. No matter how much I wanna kill him." It sounded to me like I was trying more to convince myself than Selphie.

She just shrugged again. "It's okay, really. Let's just find him so we can go help other places."

I nodded. "Yeah," I agreed.

It seemed like we searched for hours, but finally we ended up in a computer room. _So this is the place Sora was talking about,_ I thought, looking around. Sure enough, the portal of light he'd described was still there, glowing faintly, but definately still there.

I cast a glance at Selphie, who looked at me as well, fear and apprehension on both our faces. Next was the place between the twin Twilight Towns where Axel had sacrificed himself to save Sora from thousands of Nobodies. What if that same thing happened to us? There'd be no Axel - no _anyone_ - to save us.

I put on my brave face, feeling my heart beat thunderingly in my throat, took Selphie's hand, and stepped into the light.


	14. Chapter 13: Spark of Insanity

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but Axel is still my bitch.

A/N: Sorry for taking longer than usual to update. School and stuff, you know? Plus I'm getting reeeeaaaally stressed out as far as guys go. But I'll spare all of you from listening to me rant about that. And sorry about this chapter; I have a feeling it's gonna be really short. If not, then yay!

BTW, listen to In The Shadows by The Rasmus. It reminds me of Axel =) plus it's a great song

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 13

_~Roxas's Theme playing~_

I opened my eyes and found myself in the same room as before: the monochromic computer room of the rumbling, old Mansion in Twilight Town.

"It looks just the same," Selphie said, looking around. She probably didn't realize how stupid she'd just sounded.

"That's why they call it the other Twilight Town," I replied, trying not to sound condescending. I let go of her hand and walked forward, slowly, taking in how similar the two worlds were. Perhaps Ansem the Wise had just copied everything from here to create the other Twilight Town, but just deleted everything about Roxas.

I looked at Selphie. "We can look around later," I said, my face growing hard with determination. "Right now, we've gotta find Axel."

Selphie nodded, trying to mold her face to look anything but childish and naive. It didn't work.

We made our way out of the mansion and into the woods. And we stopped dead in our tracks at the sight that greeted us.

_~Fragments of Sorrow playing~_

There were at least six Wolves and four Harpies walking or flying around through the many trees littering the ground. And Selphie, of course, did the one worst possible thing anyone could do at a time like this.

She gasped.

Her hand instintively flew to her mouth, but it was too late. Every one of the ten Hollows turned and saw us, and immediately lundged at us.

Our weapons appeared just in the knick of time, and I cast Thunder, depleting almost half of all their health. Hopefully that would make this at least a little bit easier. I was about to cast it again, but a Harpie snatched my Keyblade, just like the one in the other Twilight Town had done. "Is that, like, a routine thing for you guys?" I asked it, knowing it wouldn't answer anyway.

It didn't appear back in my hands fast enough. A Wolf took the opportunity to slash at my shoulder, and another knocked me onto my stomach. I coughed as all the air in my lungs left me, trying not to wince at the pain in my shoulder. God, that was gonna take a few Potions to heal up.

My blade finally came back to me, and I quickly shot it straight up in the air to catch a Wolf jumping over me in the heart symbol. It faded instantly with a howl of despair, drenching me with shadows. I shivered at the feeling, but tried my best to ignore it. I stood up as fast as I could and blocked a Harpie's talons aiming for my face, pushing it back. I jumped up to avoid two Wolves charging at me and let them run into each other. They shook their heads and looked around, as if wondering where I went. I smirked and flipped in the air, shooting to the ground upside down. The Wolves looked up just at the right moment, and I spun, decapitating both of them in one swift motion. I landed on my feet, knees bent, in the middle of what was left of their smoky shadows seeping into the ground. I caught Selphie looking at me in awe, but she soon recovered herself and spun quickly, catching the charging Wolf in the chest with the sharp edge of her sheild.

I exhaled sharply, trying to catch my breath. I scanned the clearing, concluding that there were only the four Harpies left. _Damn, I should've taken care of those first,_ I thought, knowing that they'd be more of a challenge than the Wolves had been. I shifted my feet, eyeing a Harpie just above me, and jumped, heaving myself up to its level by one of the branches. Tentatively, I looked down, and was surprised by how high up I was. I didn't realize I could jump that high.

I was caught off guard as the Harpie swiped at me with its talons; luckily I dodged out of the way quickly enough. I planted my feet firmly on the branch and ran forward, slashing at it repeatedly, avoiding the swing of its talons or claws at every chance. Within a few moments, and after recieving a few more soon-to-be scars, the Harpie faded, and another one took its place.

Exhausted, I shot a glance at Selphie, who had just killed one of the other Harpies. The last one came flying around the tree and almost kicked her off the branch she was balancing on. She wasn't no time in attacking it with a ferver that I only saw in battles.

My sight snapped back to my opponent too late, and it slashed three deep cuts into my stomach. I gasped at the pain, and my vision went white for a moment. _Oh no._ I stumbed and blinked rapidly, trying to rid the haze from my eyes. Suddenly, the blurry black Harpie in front of me swung its wings forward, and the wind made me lose my footing. The wood of the tree slipped from under me, and I was falling.

My first reaction was to scream, but my voice failed me. I hit the ground hard, losing my vision once again to the blinding white.

_~Missing You playing~_

_Axel seemed to enjoy making me scream._

_As if the horrible burn from his cigarrette wasn't enough, he picked me up by my hair and threw me sideways against the wall farthest from him. What bothered me, besides the excrutiating pain he was bestowing upon me, was that he wasn't even angry._

_He was genuinely having fun. Torturing me made him happy._

_Until recently, I hadn't even realized such an evil existed on any world. I fleetingly wondered if Sora had met this monster yet, and hoped with all my heart that he never would. I wasn't sure if he'd survive an encounter with this red-haired demon._

_"Now, Kairi," he said conversationally as he sauntered over to me, "I'm really getting tired of asking this all the time. And I'm sure you're getting tired of hearing it." He laughed shortly. "Not that it matters how _you_ feel, right? So, where's Roxas?"_

_I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. I knew that my chances of getting hurt were better if I at least answered him. "I told you, I don't know," I squeaked feebly, coughing as I spoke._

_He rolled his eyes. "I've already heard that one." He kneeled in front of me and looked down at me. "Try something new."_

_"I'm not" - cough - "lying! I'm telling you," - choke - "I don't know!"_

_He thought about that for a moment. "But you do know where Sora is, don't you, Kairi?" He suddenly seemed serious. He raised my head with a hand under my chin, looking deeply into my eyes._

_I found myself unable to speak. The sight of his eyes rendered me speechless. They were so green... They went on forever, through his past, his memories, the people he'd met, the places he'd seen, down to his soul._

_I heard his voice, soft and coaxing. "Think hard, Kairi. You two have a connection. You know where he is."_

_A name came to my mind all of a sudden. Halloween Town._

_I opened my mouth to tell him, my mind lost, traveling down the green path of his eyes. I'd reached his soul. Deep in his eyes, in his soul..._

_I saw nothing._

_I blinked, snapping back to the white room. I looked away from his eyes and narrowed my own. "I don't know where he is," I answered monotonically._

_He laughed throatily, making my eyes shoot back to his. How did he find that funny? "You _liar!_"_

_I saw the anger flare suddenly in his eyes, but it was too late for me to react._

_All I could do now was scream._

_~Kairi's Theme playing~_

"Kairi! Kairi!"

I opened my eyes slowly, wrenching myself from the past. "Selphie?" I guessed groggily, waiting for the figure in front of me to stop being so blurry.

She nodded. "Yeah, it's me." My vision cleared and I saw the worried expression on her face. "Are you okay?"

I sat up, with help from her, then nodded. "Yeah. I think so." My mind snapped and I looked around. "Are there any left?"

Selphie looked surprised. "What are you -? Oh," she said, understanding what I meant. "No, they're all dead. I got rid of them while you were out."

I sighed, letting myself relax. The Keyblade had disappeared; I should've let that fact alone answer my question. I had no right to worry her so badly. "Sorry about that," I apologized. "I fell."

She laughed. "I noticed. It's cool, though, what's done is done." She stood up, holding her hand out to help me up as well. "Come on, we gotta find Axel."

I tried not to cringe as she said his name. After that dream, finding Axel was the last thing I wanted to do.

After figuring out the places he probably wouldn't be, there was only one place left: the Sandlot. We headed there as fast as we could, and sure enough, we were right.

Axel stood in the center of the ring where the annual Struggle tournament was usually held, seeming to be deep in thought. His mouth was moving fast, as if he was muttering something to himself.

Ignoring how crazy he looked at present, I walked up to him, taking care to move slowly. I didn't want him attacking me, or Selphie especially. "Axel?" I asked, lifting an arm to my side, telling Selphie to stay back.

He whipped around and wrapped a hand around my neck. He wasn't applying much pressure, but it still got the same effect: fear. I tried to keep a calm face, knowing that any emotion would probably send him over the edge that he was standing so precariously on. I suppressed a shudder when I glimpsed the spark of insanity in his eyes, the wild look to them.

_Untamed._

"Where is he?" he growled, looking almost animalistic, pulling back his lips as he spoke, like a wolf baring its teeth.

"Axel..." I started, trying my hardest to keep my voice level now that his hand was tightening slowly around my throat.

"I think you're asking the wrong person, Axel."

Axel instantly let me go; apparently he'd heard who he'd been looking for.

Max stood before us on the other side of the ring, looking unbearably cute. But this time I looked at him, I wasn't caught off guard. There was something weird about this kid, and the zipper of his hoodie only proved me right. The catch of the zipper was the heart-and-star symbol that seemed to be finding us everywhere lately.

As if waiting for me to finally realize this, the Keyblade appeared in my hands. The weight was becoming very familiar, almost like a security blanket, and I envied Sora for being able to have such a wonderful weapon for as long as he did.

I kept Axel in my peripheral vision, making sure he didn't do anything too drastic, as I spoke to the child. "Listen, kid, you better quit messing around."

He giggled, and I was reminded again of how adorable he was. "I'm not messing around, Kairi. I'm just having a little fun, that's all. I bet Sora would've let me have my fun."

As he said Sora's name, at least twenty Soras lined the perimeter of the ring, all with as blank a face as Max himself.

I exhaled, wide-eyed, as I stared at the man I loved more than anything in the world twenty times in a row. I had to remind myself that they weren't him; they looked just like him.

As I looked at all of them in awe, feeling emotion after emotion roll through my heart, every other Sora was pushed aside by a Riku.

Selphie ran up, but stopped beside me. She and Riku had been sort of seeing each other back in Radiant Garden; only I knew how much she really cared for him, even though their relationship was simply physical at the moment.

Max smiled as he saw the effect the Soras and Rikus were having on me and Selphie. "And last, for you, Axel," he said, gesturing to the currently insane redhead.

Roxas stepped forward from behind the boy, then stood in front of him, looking only at Axel.

Axel's eyes widened and his mouth hung slightly open. "Roxas," he breathed. He stepped forward, slowly, his pace quickening with every step, until he was practically vaulting toward his old friend.

Suddenly, they all disappeared, every Sora, Riku, and Roxas, with Max. The only thing left of them was the echo of the boy's laughter.


	15. Chapter 14: Best Friends

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts but at least you can't read my pokerface (mah mah mah mah)

A/N: Well, turns out the last chapter wasn't as short as I thought it would be! Woot! I didn't really have the intention of making Axel go crazy, but I like it. Don't worry, he'll be back to normal soon =) Reviews please! They make me smile!

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 14

_~Kairi's Theme playing~_

Axel stopped right where Roxas just stood. He looked sad, then his face slowly distorted, turning into a mask of pure rage. He ground his teeth together and seemed to growl.

Something bad was about to happen. In Axel's current mind state, any amount of anger was dangerous. I grabbed Selphie's hand and started running off the ring, dragging her with me.

"_DAMMIT ROXAS!!!!!!!!!!!!"_ Axel roared, circling himself with a wall over fire. He threw his arms out, and the circle grew, flying to every corner of the area.

Selphie and I crouched down behind the lifted ground of the ring just in time to avoid the flames. Stupidly, I wondered if my hair was singed. I raised my head just enough to see over the ring and saw Axel running up the path, out of the Sandlot.

"Fuck," I muttered, and started running after him.

"Wait up!" Selphie called after me, trying to catch up.

"Come on!" I said, not slowing down. No matter how much I hated outright ignoring her, my best friend, I had to follow Axel, even though I had a pretty good idea where he was going anyway.

Sure enough, we ended up tagging along with him back through the woods and into the clearing in front of the old Mansion.

Max stood there in front of the gate, waiting for us, a small smile on his adorable features. "There you are," he said. "We were waiting."

As if curtains were opened around the area, the line of Soras and Rikus appeared again, all around us. Roxas stood calmly, emotionless, behind Max, all his attention focused on Axel, just like before, only this time, he wore his Organization XIII cloak, holding his two Keyblades, Oblivion and Oathkeeper, in his hands. A corner of his mouth turned up slightly as Axel halted in the middle of the clearing. "Hey, Axel," he said, his voice deeper than I remembered. Well, of course, it'd been five years. He must've aged as Sora did.

Axel looked stunned. "Roxas..." he breathed. His voice sounded almost normal now. Maybe he wasn't totally crazy after all.

Roxas gave a short chuckle. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" He walked out from behind Max, toward Axel. "Then, again, I bet it seemed too long for you, right?"

Axel tensed, a tick working in his jaw.

I walked forward, confused. "What's he talking about, Axel?" I asked quietly, though apparently Roxas heard me.

He turned to look at me. "Namine!" he said, looking genuinely happy. He walked toward me. "It's been forever!"

In a flash of light, my Keyblade appeared in my hands, making Roxas take a few steps back. I looked down at the weapon. Why would it choose _now_ to show up?

My head shot up and my eyes locked on his. "You're not the real Roxas," I said, glowering at him.

Axel shot me a look somewhere in between anger and disbelief. Had he not known?

Roxas laughed, making me shiver. His laugh was full of hate, not the light laugh that I always heard behind Sora's. "Now what would make you think _that_, Namine?"

Selphie took a step toward him. "Her name's _Kairi!_" she shouted, and ran to him, sheild appearing in her hands halfway there.

"Selph!" I cried, shooting my hand out towards her, as if it would make her come back.

Roxas smirked and gripped his blades. He stuck one out horizontally, catching the edge of her sheild between its prongs and sent it flying into the air, leaving Selphie open and defenseless. She noticed this and tried vainly to run away, but it was too late. Roxas jumped in front of her and crisscrossed his Keyblades, then slashed them across, leaving a bleeding X from her chest to her waist.

"_SELPHIE!!!_" I screamed as she fell to the ground, a look of horror on her face. My eyes traveled to Roxas's face, where a disgusting sneer rested on his lips. "_I'LL KILL YOU, YOU PRICK!!!!!!!!_"

_~Tourniquet - Evanescence playing~_

Roxas laughed as I ran to him. "Try," was all he said, before blocking my attack by making another X with his weapons.

I ground my teeth together and jumped back, then ran at him again. He matched every swing of mine, parrying, blocking, and even attacking whenever he got the chance. I'd only gotten about thirty hits in before I realized I was losing.

"Axel!" I yelled, holding back his blades with mine, sending a look to the redhead across the field. "Help me!"

He just stared at me blankly, eyes wide, unsure what to do.

"What are you doing?" I ducked under an attack and ran to the other side. "Don't just _stand_ there!"

After a few more tries, I realized it was no use; he wasn't capable of doing anything at the moment. _Useless,_ I thought, casting Cure on myself quickly before parrying an attack by Roxas. I hit him once, twice, three times, delivering a huge slash to his abdomen on the last one. He was hardly even knocked back.

I raised my blade to cast Thunder, but suddenly I choked. I looked down, and Roxas's Oathkeeper was lodged deep in my stomach. "Ah," was all I managed to get out before he pulled it back, leaving me to fall to the ground, like Selphie.

My vision was going white again. _No... Please, no..._ I blinked, watching the hazy black figure of Roxas approach the glob of red and black that was Axel.

"Axel. My best friend," Roxas drawled, his voice sounding lethargic to my fading senses. "I never thought it would come to this."

"Roxas," Axel said for probably the fifth time. "This can't be you."

"It is," Roxas answered, holding his arms out as if showing an example. "I'm real, Axel. And I'm me."

Axel shook his head slightly, slowly. "No," he disagreed, sounding unsure. "No. No, this isn't right. This... this isn't what Roxas would do."

"You just saw it. I did it. It's what I do now, Axel." Roxas leaned in forward, his voice growing softer. I had to strain to hear it, and blinked again to see better. "It's what you used to do."

Axel looked away, ashamed. Was that regret I saw in his eyes?

Roxas smiled and leaned back again, standing up straight. He was now just as tall as Axel, whereas before he could never even begin to measure up. "Come back, Axel," he coaxed. "We can rebuild the Organization. It'll be just how it used to be. You and me together, just two guys getting the job done."

Axel opened his mouth, then hesitated, closing it again.

I closed my eyes tightly, then opened them again. Finally, my vision wasn't hazy. I tried getting up, but heard a very tiny, but distinct sound of metal against metal, and looked back up to Roxas.

He'd gripped his Keyblades tighter; the sound I'd heard was his rings clanging against the hilt. He ground his teeth together, and his eyebrows furrowed. He obviously was getting sick of Axel's indecisiveness.

And in that moment, no matter how much I didn't want to, I knew what I had to do.

I ran as fast as I could, ignoring the white creeping up on the sides of my vision, and slid in between the two black-clad men, holding up my Keyblade in defense. I'd just managed to catch the prongs of Roxas's Oblivion, saving Axel from the blade ending up in his skull.

Roxas looked at me in pure disbelief, then glared in fury. He pressed down as hard as he could with Oblivion, his face a mask of hate.

I closed my eyes tightly, trying my best to ignore how my muscles screamed under the pressure. Finally, I gathered all the strength I had left, and pushed him back.

He stumbled a few steps until finally falling on his back on the ground.

I stood up slowly, making my way over to him. I stood next to him, my feet resting on the ground next to his head. I said nothing, just glared at him, lifted my Keyblade, and plunged it as far as I could between his eyes.

He didn't scream, didn't move, didn't make a sound. He simply lay there, stuck to the ground, until his body had faded into darkness.

The Keyblade disappeared and, with nothing left to support me, I fell.

"Kairi," I heard Axel say, then felt arms around my shoulders, catching me and lowering me down to my knees slowly.

I turned my head, feeling every muscle move in order to do so, and caught Axel's eyes. I couldn't process what emotion lay in those green enigmas, but nonetheless, it was better than seeing white.

"Here," he said, his voice echoing throughout my mind, bouncing off the walls of my skull. He handed me a Hi-Potion, which I took with gratitude. My wounds healed up almost instantly, and the white dissipated, leaving my mind clear and empty.

But not for long.

"Selphie!" I said, standing up and running to her side instantly. She hadn't moved from where she'd been before, still laying face-flat on the ground where Roxas had left her. I fished around in my pouch and finally found a Potion. I gave her mine, and Axel contributed as well, giving her one of his.

She rolled over with a groan and her hand found her forehead almost immediately. "Ow..." she said weakly, then opened her eyes as her strength returned to her. "What happened? Where's Roxas?"

I smiled at her. "He's gone," I assured her. "Me and Axel took care of him."

Axel sent me a grateful glance. He was obviously annoyed at how useless he'd been during the entire fight.

I shrugged, as if to say "she doesn't need to know".

Selphie sat up. "So you mean I missed out on that?" she asked, looking at us with mock anger. "Come on, guys! You should've left some for me!"

I laughed and stood up, offering her my hand. "Come on, let's get back to Hayner, Pence, and Olette."


	16. Chapter 15: Ice Cream on the Clocktower

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but I most definately own this story. Sucks for you, plagarists!

A/N: Wow, these chapters are getting pretty long! =) I'm really happy with the last chapter. Sorry if it wasn't described very well, but I think you get the basic picture, right?

And there's something that's been bugging me forever. What is a crack pairing? Or a crack vid? Is it like a couple that would only happen if they were on crack? haha I see it everywhere and I'm always like "What does that _mean?!_"

You guys could, you know, tell me the answer in a review, maybe...

It has also come to my attention that the place I've been calling the Secret Spot is actually called the Usual Spot. Sorry about that, I'm gonna change it right here. =)

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 15

_~Dearly Beloved playing~_

When we got back to the Usual Spot, Olette and Pence made a scene of freaking out over the three of us after we told them what happened. We didn't mention Roxas; just told them about the group of Hollows in the woods of the other Twilight Town. Axel conveniently stayed silent, not like the trio would've listened to him anyway.

Halfway through the conversation, Axel disappeared again.

Selphie sighed. "Where'd he go _this_ time?" she asked, exasperated, looking around.

Hayner shrugged. "Who cares? You guys are better off without him. Besides, it doesn't even seem like he helped with that fight at all."

"Yeah, he was all quiet when you were talking about it," Pence added.

"That doesn't matter," I said, cutting him off. I didn't want to be rude, but I couldn't let them find out about Roxas. Even if it wasn't the real Roxas, it would break their hearts. I stood up. "I'll go find him. I have a pretty good idea where he is." Selphie started to follow me, but I shook my head. "Stay here. I'll be back."

Selphie looked wary, but let me go. She was still afraid Axel hadn't let go of all his crazy yet.

I ignored it and pushed past the ragged velvet curtain to the Back Alley, and made my way down Market Street to the Station Plaza. I looked up at the Clocktower and, sure enough, I saw two black boots hanging off the edge.

I went over to the stairs on the left side of the building, grabbed two Sea-Salt ice cream bars, and started climbing. Soon enough, I was level with Axel, on the ledge that was at least sixty feet off the ground; probably more.

Axel didn't appear to notice me; he just sat there, staring at the early evening sun.

I walked up next to him and held out one of the ice cream bars. "Want one?" I asked.

He jumped a little at my voice and stared at me with a nearly blank expression. His eyes were the only things that showed my emotions, and I was almost blown away by all I saw. Distrust, sadness, regret, suspicion, anger... I hadn't seen so many contradicting emotions since, well, _me_, when I'd been waiting for Sora and Riku to return to Destiny Islands.

"Go on," I urged, "take it. I didn't poison it, don't worry."

My sad attempt to make him smile failed miserably. He took the ice cream from me, his face not moving in the slightest, and turned his attention back to the sun, holding the ice cream out off the edge.

I could feel my mood plummeting, but tried hard not to let it show. If it were me in Axel's place, it really wouldn't help much to be sitting next to someone just as depressed as I was. I sat down next to him, carefully slipping my legs off the edge and letting them dangle, tensing up in response to my slight fear of heights.

I tried to find a topic to start a conversation about, one that would take his mind off Roxas and the Organization. But every time I got close to something, there was always some way it could link back to his past.

The silence was becoming too much to bear, so I looked over at him, and said the first thing that came to my mind.

"Your ice cream is melting."

Axel followed my eyes. "Hm. I guess it is." He stuck it in his mouth and shivered, almost unnoticeably, apparently not expecting the cold.

And then it came, like word vomit. "I'm sorry about Roxas," I said, my face falling, showing how sad I really was.

Axel just shrugged, still not looking at me. "What're _you_ sorry for? You were just doing you job. I should be apologizing. I just stood there." His shoulders sagged a little as he leaned out over the edge. "I almost let you and Selphie die."

"Well, that's nothing new for you, though, right?" Oh my god, did I really just say that? "Wow, I... _really_ didn't mean that."

Axel let out a short laugh, barely smiling. "Yes you did," he said, almost under his breath. His tiny grin fell, and he looked years older than normal. "You have good reason to."

I couldn't think of anything to say that. He was right, and I knew lying would only get him annoyed.

Why was I even trying to cheer him up? I had no idea. This was the man that tortured me five years ago, the man that almost let me die _today!_ But before I could stand up leave, Axel spoke.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, looking down, watching his ice cream melt. "It's just... Roxas... He was my best friend. Until he came..." Axel let out another laugh, more like a sharp exhale with a smile than anything else. "You don't wanna know what I was like before he came." He closed his eyes. "And now he's gone."

"But he's _not_ gone!" I turned to him so quickly that he looked surprised, maybe even borderline frightened. "Don't you see? He just merged with Sora."

"And that's exactly why I took you, Kairi," Axel said, looking into my eyes intensely. "I was gonna use you to find Sora and then I'd turn him into a Heartless. Then I'd have Roxas back."

"How could you have even _thought_ to do that?" I asked.

"I was desperate!" Axel nearly shouted, standing up. "What if you lost Selphie? You would've done the same thing."

"But Roxas isn't _gone_," I repeated, holding back my frustrationg, standing up slowly and carefully. "He's _whole!_ He's _happy_ now! He _exists_ now! How could you want to take that away from him -?"

My sentence was cut off by a scream. _My_ scream.

As I slipped and fell off the Clocktower.

_~Missing You playing~_

_This time it wasn't birdsong that awoke me._

_It was a girl._

_"Kairi, wake up! Please, wake up!"_

_I jumped out of bed the moment I could open my eyes. I had no idea who this girl was, but if she was in this place, I had a feeling I really didn't want to know her._

_"Kairi, it's okay," she said. She looked sincere, but I didn't want to let it fool me. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you." She motioned to herself. "I'm Namine."_

Namine._ The name bounced off the walls of my mind, over and over. I felt like I'd heard that name before..._

_"Have we met before, Namine?" I asked. Why was I talking to her? It was strange; I felt an odd sense of trust coming from her._

_She smiled. "Not really, but we've known each other a long time."_

_I furrowed my brow. "That makes no sense."_

_Namine giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "I guess you're right," she said, smiling._

_"Namine!"_

_She gasped and whipped around, facing the door. She turned her head back to look at me. "Quick, Kairi, hide!"_

_I didn't know what she was talking about, but I did as she said. I crouched down behind the bed so I wouldn't be seen from the door._

_"I'll come back for you, I promise," she said softly, right before the door opened._

_"Namine, what are you doing in here?" A man was speaking, his voice low and completely monotonic. It sent chills down my spine, and I wasn't sure why. I'd heard plenty of emo people speak before, but no one had ever sounded like him. Like there was some sort of malice behind the emotionless tone._

_"I-I was just -" She yelped, and I heard a loud thud on the other side of the bed. I stuck my head under the bed and saw that she'd fallen. No, he'd hurt her._

_I could practically feel her pain. Who was this man? He was horrible!_

_"You were just looking around, weren't you?" he asked, a mocking edge to his voice. "Every time I see you near this room, you're 'looking around'. Is there something in here, Namine?"_

_"No!" she answered, too quickly. "I mean, probably not. It's just another white room." Her attempt to rescue herself was pathetic; it wouldn't have fooled even someone ligitimately stupid._

_"Of course," he said, obviously doubtful. I heard his footsteps coming closer, closer, closer..._

_Then smaller footsteps, faster than his, and suddenly they both stopped._

_Silence._

_The man laughed. A dark, low laugh that chilled me to my core. I had never heard anything more frightening than that sound. "Go back to your room, Namine," he said, but started walking even before she did._

_Finally, the door shut, and was locked once again._

_~Dearly Beloved playing~_

"Kairi!"

"Huh!" I lifted my head and was met with Axel's eyes, looking at me with an almost concerned gaze.

Axel sighed, relaxing. I hadn't realized how tense he'd been until then. "Are you okay?" he asked, breathing heavily, one of his hands still holding my forearm.

I took a step back. "Yeah," I said curtly. "Thanks." I practically ripped my arm from his grip and stomped away. To think I'd pretty much opened up to that prick.

Next time he got all emo, I was _not_ gonna try and cheer him up.

Sadistic bastard.


	17. Chapter 16: All Kitties Aren't Cute

**Disclaimer:** Let's see, I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Final Fantasy, Axel, Kairi, Selphie, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Pluto, Sora, Riku, Twilight Town, the other Twilight Town, Radiant Garden/Hollow Bastion, or any other place or person mentioned in this story. I do, however, own Madame Lefrios and Amelia! Woohoo! And I completely made up Bastion Square. So there. At least I own something.

A/N: The fool on the hill sees the sun going down and the eyes in [her] head see the sun going down.

I am the fool on the hill.

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 16

_~Invitation - Secret Garden playing~_

After saying our goodbyes to Hayner, Pence, and Olette, Axel summoned another shadow portal, which Selphie and I proceeded through without much excitement. I tried not to think about how easy it would be for us to drop us off in some torture/hell dimension and how we wouldn't know it until it was too late.

Almost as soon as I stepped into the void, I was stepping out, onto a dry, cracked ground covered with a light dusting of some sort of sand. There were a few dead and black trees scattered here and there, and a huge rock formation off in the distance, but other than that, the land looked extremely barren.

And why did everything look bigger?

"Oh my god, Kairi!" Selphie squealed.

I turned around, a "what?" on my lips, but my breath caught in my throat as I saw her.

She was a fricking _gazelle!_

"Oh my god, Selphie, you're so cute!" I shrieked like a little girl. "Wait, but why are you so tall?"

"Um, you might wanna look..." she said, gesturing with her head to a stream of water running nearby.

I walked over, stumbling a lot on my way. Why was it suddenly hard to walk? I bent my head down to check my reflection in the rippling water.

_Oh my god I was adorable!_

"I'm a baby lion!" I squealed, jumping around. "I'm so cute, oh my god, I'm so cute!"

And then I caught sight of Axel.

He was a black lion, gaunt looking, with a crazy red mane. His weird cat-like eyes finally looked right.

"Wow, Axel, you look even skinnier than normal!" I mocked, laughing with Selphie.

"At least my head's bigger than my paws," he retorted, smirking, his fangs rolling over his lips.

Before I could think of a snark comment to shoot back at him, I heard voices nearby. And of course, I had to go investigate.

"Kairi, don't screw around with other worlds!" Axel said, trying to keep his voice down.

"Calm down, kitty, I'm just looking around." I hid behind a boulder and sheathed my claws, trying to make as little sound against the hard ground as possible.

"How long have you been training for this moment, Kovu?" a woman's - well, lioness' - voice asked. She didn't sound very nice...

"My whole life," a teenage lion responded, monotonically. What's with everybody having a monotone lately?

"What is your mission?" the lioness asked, her voice teeming with excitement.

"Infiltrate the Pride Lands and steal the crown."

"And what must you do to accomplish that goal?" The thrill she was getting off this conversation was sort of disturbing.

"I must kill Simba."

_~Axel's Theme playing~_

_Kill Simba?!_ Sora had always had so many stories to tell about Simba, how he'd helped the worried and grief-stricken king find his feet and save the Pride Lands from starvation at the hands of his evil uncle Scar. He and Simba had been the best of friends. And this kid - _lion_ - wanted to _kill_ him?!

I was _not_ gonna let that happen.

I just barely heard a soft "Kairi, no!" from Axel before I bolted out from behind my boulder and ran into the scene.

I had severely underestimated how many lions there were. There were at least twenty circling the two lions I had heard talking, and I'd just pushed through the circle into the middle. Yep, that's me. I'd always wanted to be a cute, vulnerable lion cub and be surrounded by evil, half-starved lions. Man, dreams really do come true.

"Who are you?" the lioness growled, sticking her scarred face right in mine.

I coughed. Ugh, she smelled like dead birds and mice. "Who are _you?_ And why are you trying to kill Simba?"

"Are you from the Pride Lands?" she snarled, her mouth twisting into some sort of smile.

"Kairi, there you are!" Axel jumped into the middle of the circle and pushed me out of the lioness' way with his muzzle. "Sorry about all this, we got lost. We were just leaving."

"Oh, no, _please_ stay," she cooed, and suddenly the circle of lions seemed a little more threatening. "After all, we'd love to meet your _other_ friend." I didn't especially like the way the was eyeing Selphie.

"You stay away from her!" I hissed, lashing out with my claws.

At that moment, every lion in the circle pounced on top of us, claws unsheathed, roaring and baring their teeth.

My Keyblade appeared in my jaws and I immidiately started swinging it this way and that, knocking every other lion onto its back and leaving them to scramble up and retreat. There were, of course, a few stubborn ones that stayed. Selphie joined the fray, her sheild rested on her horns, and she lowered her head to bash them with it. Axel summoned his chakrams, which hovered over his back and shot out at his enemies, glowing with red-hot fire.

I got rid of one lion, then a lioness, then another lion, until it was practically a one-on-one for the three of us. I ducked and ran forward to avoid being pounced on, and dug my claws into the ground to turn around sharply. The lion did the same and pounced again. This time I parried it with my Keyblade and cast Blizzard on it a few times. Finally, it'd had enough and it retreated, running to the strange rock formation I'd noticed earlier.

The other two retreated as well, leaving only Kovu and Zira. And I _really_ didn't want to fight them.

The two lions exchanged a look, smiled, and turned to us. They unsheathed their claws, a horrible glint in their eyes that made me take a few steps back. I think I stepped on my tail, and I squeaked, then turned and ran, along with the others, getting chased out by bigger badasses than we were.

It was sort of demeaning.


	18. Chapter 17: Timon and Pumbaa

**Disclaimer:** Out of the many things I own - like the world eventually - I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

A/N: Sorry about that last chapter. Oh my god the way I described it was horrible haha. It was like 10:30 on a Monday and I was sooooo tired. So yeah, I'll try to make up for it in this chapter =) Read and review!

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 17

_~Invitation - Secret Garden playing~_

We ran away from Zira and Kovu, from that barren Valley, for as long as our legs would carry us. I could tell from the look in Axel's eyes that he was furious at being chased out of someplace from a bunch of lions. I wondered if he would've beaten them if he'd been human.

Selphie, in contrast, looked scared and relieved at the same time. She could've been eaten! I'd imagine she'd be really shaken by the whole experience, and must be happy to get away from all of those predators. Come to think of it, _I_ was a predator. But, of course, I'd never eat Selphie.

I closed my eyes breifly and caught the slight scent of water on the wind. Thank goodness, it was about time. I wasn't sure how long we'd been running, but the sun and the exhaustion was taking its toll; I was borderline dehydrated.

Soon enough, I saw a small pond, surrounded by some cattails - how ironic? - and ferns. A big, red-orange rock hung over the water, reminding me of a diving board.

I glanced over my shoulder quickly and saw nothing. Good, they'd stopped chasing us. I turned back to the water, ignoring the fact that I was about to drink unfiltered, dirty groundwater, and vaulted into it, sending splashing waves everywhere.

I'd underestimated how deep the water was and found myself two feet underwater, doggy-paddling desperately to the surface. My head broke through the surface and I took a deep breath, laughing ridiculously. The water felt so good!

Selphie giggled and bent her long neck down to the water's edge, lapping it up greedily. She closed her eyes and smiled; she was just as grateful as I was for the refreshment.

I heard Axel's cocky laugh to the side and turned, seeing him run up the rock overhang, a huge grin on his face. It was weird seeing him look genuinely happy, instead of mockingly obnoxious. It was sort of a breath of fresh air; a nice change. He stumbled on his way up, then tripped on his foot, obviously still not used to this whole four legs thing. His forehead made contact with the edge of the rock and he flipped once, twice, then smashed into the water. A few seconds later, he jumped out onto the land and shook himself off.

I tried to hold it back, but I couldn't. I burst out in laughter, as did Selphie, and I had to get out of the water in order to keep myself from drowning. I looked at him as my laughter died down and caught the look of annoyance on his face. But finally, a corner of his mouth turned up in a smile and he shook his head, looking away, accepting his embarrassment.

"Hey! What's with all the racket?"

Instantly, all of us were on our guard, staring intently at the growth of ferns where the voice had originated from.

The leaves rustled, then parted, revealing a golden-and-brown meerkat and a reddish warthog. The meerkat looked sort of annoyed, while the warthog looked more apprehensive than anything else. But as soon as they both caught sight of the three of us, they let out a short scream in fear.

The meerkat scurried behind the warthog's ears. "Zira's lions!" he exclaimed, holding the ears in front of his face like curtains.

"We've gotta tell Simba!" the warthog said, its legs shaking as he tangled them in an attempt to turn around quickly.

"Simba?" I asked, my tense muscles loosening up immediately. "Wait!" I called, stepping toward them, but keeping a safe distance. I was sure they wouldn't be able to hurt me, but they looked terrified enough without me near them. I didn't want them running away. "Do you know King Simba?"

"Do we know King Simba?" the meerkat asked, repeating her in disbelief. He let go of the warthog's ears and stood up on its head, putting its hands on its hips. "Of _course_ we know Simba! The question is: do _you_?"

"Timon!" the warthog said, still looking worried. "We shouldn't be talking to them! What if they're with Zira?"

"Zira was the one who chased us outta that dump," Axel said, sitting down and lazily licking his paw. He sure had the whole cat thing down.

"Exactly," I agreed, pleading with them with my eyes. "We don't know Simba -"

"Aha!" Timon - the meerkat - interrupted, holding a finger up in the air. "I knew it!"

"- but we _do_ know Sora," I finished, hoping that the name would at least ring a bell.

"_Sora?_" they both exclaimed.

Timon jumped down the the ground and walked forward. "You mean the little lion that carried around that huge key thing all the time? _That_ Sora?"

"Well, he's usually not a lion when we hang out with him, but yep, that's the one," Selphie answered.

"Well then, come on! We gotta take you to see Simba!" the warthog said, all traces of suspicion gone.

"Pumbaa!" Timon scurried back over to his friend. "We still don't know who these guys are."

"But they said they know Sora," Pumbaa countered.

"Has it ever occured to you, my smelly friend, that they could be _lying_?" On that last word, his voice was suddenly a yell.

"We're _not_ lying!" I objected. "We know Sora, and I can prove it to you."

Timon turned back to me. "Oh really? Then go on, feel free." He gestured with his arms for her to do something.

I straightened up and pictured the Keyblade in my mind. Almost instantaneously, it appeared between my jaws, stunning the meerkat into a speechless fit.

"We believe you," Pumbaa said, stepping forward and nudging the stammering meerkat out of the way with his snout. "Come on, Timon, let's get back to Simba and Nala."

I smiled, feeling confident, and let the Keyblade disappear again. It was amazing how far just knowing Sora could get me. I wondered what else I could do by saying "yes, I know Sora".

Axel seemed to read my mind. He padded along beside me and lowered his head just enough to whisper in my ear, "Don't get any ideas, princess. People with power are usually the ones who are most likely to misuse it. Got it memorized?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah," I mumbled, brushing it off. What could possibly go wrong?

A/N: Woohoo! Axel finally said his oh-so-famous catch phrase! I was waiting for a good time for him to say it, and I think it fit in pretty well.

So, I got some new books from the library, and in order for me to be able to finish them all within 3 weeks is to read like I'll die if I don't. So that means I'm not gonna be writing as much. Of course, I will when I can, but don't expect updates as often as I usually do. That being said, my next update will be in 10 reviews. That means R&R people!

Love you all!

-axelkairi


	19. Chapter 18: Royal Assignment

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Kingdom Hearts I'd be living of Japan and have pink hair.

A/N: There's a light at each end of this tunnel, you shout 'cause your just as far in as you'll ever be out, and these mistakes you made, you'll just make them again if you only try turning around.

-Breathe: Anna Nalick

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 18

_~Dearly Beloved playing~_

Axel chuckled softly. "You wound me, Princess," he said, using the pet name he used to call me when he'd kidnapped me. He put a hand to his heart to emphasize the "pain".

"I hope so," I growled, narrowing my eyes at him. Disgusting freak.

He smirked and stepped forward.

Sora's eyes widened and the Kingdom Key appeared in his hands. He took a step forward as well, matching Axel's stride. I smiled, but forced my face into an expressionless mask quickly, remembering Axel's presence. I was just so happy at how easily Sora would throw himself into a fight for me.

Axel smirked and, in a flurry of flames, his chakrams manifested, somehow managing not to burn through the leather of his black gloves. "Just try it, kid," he patronize, narrowing his eyes at Sora.

I held Sora's forearm lightly, but the message was clear. He relaxed, but only slightly and stood up straight, holding his Keyblade pointed to the ground.

In his place, I walked forward until I was diagonally in front of him. I crosse my arms. "Why are you here, Axel?" I asked coldly. Come to think of it, exactly where was "here" anyway?

_~Invitation - Secret Garden playing~_

Timon and Pumbaa led us from the pond to a giant rock, surrounded by plants and flowers and water and all sorts of animals. There were elephants, zebras, gazelles - like Selphie - and any other animal you'd expect to see in Africa. Every color was represented, every texture, every personality.

And, surprisingly, Timon and Pumbaa just walked through all of them, heading straight for the impossibly huge rock that hid the midday sun, leaving a long, much needed shadow on the grounds in front of it.

I was a little nervous being paraded through all these animals, who were looking at me either suspiciously or judgingly. No matter what they were talking about before, the second we came near them, they stopped talking. Those that we passed immediately launched themselves into whispered conversations about who we were, where we came from, what our motives were, and how odd it was that they'd never seen us before. I couldn't count how many times I heard Zira's name as we made our way to the rock.

Finally, though not soon enough, we came to a smooth rock that led to the raised platform of the main structure and began walking up it. I had to force my feet - paws - to take every step demanded of them, though they put up quite a fight. Last I heard, Simba was sort of on the brink of sanity, full of self-doubt. Then again, his kingdom seemed improved since the last time Sora saw it; he'd described as, plainly, "barren".

Timon, Pumbaa, Selphie, Axel and I stood in front of a hole in the rock. Timon motioned for us to go inside, and Pumbaa looked at us, kindly but expectantly.

I practically ignored them. I didn't know about anyone else, but that dark hole in the wall seemed a little too foreboding to be a good place. I could feel the ground shaking, or was that me?

I felt a warm body on my left side, and heard a soft, whispered voice in my ear. "Come on, Kairi," Selphie said, a hint of a smile in her voice. "We can do this. _You_ can do this. I'm here for you."

Perhaps it was the natural power of defense inside her. Perhaps it was the knowledge that someone was near me and going inside with me. Perhaps it was the fact that she was my best friend for as long as I can remember. But I suddenly felt myself stop shaking. My back straightened and my legs unlocked. I turned and threw her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Selph," I replied, and padded into the darkness, followed by my friend and my enemy.

After a few steps I could see a light. The sun was shining through a hole somewhere above the level ground of this cave, shooing away the dark and lighting up the circular room-type area. I got the feeling that this normally housed all the lions of the pride, but at the moment, only two resided there, sitting with their backs toward us, apparently in an intense conversation.

I looked at Selphie, wondering if I should interrupt them. She shrugged at me, her eyes clueless. I turned back and sighed.

The sound was louder than I expected, echoing off the walls and filling the cave. The two lions turned to us instantly, muscles flexed and fur standing on end.

The three of us did the same just as fast, and I got the feeling that if we would've fought, it would've been a pretty even match.

But thankfully, we didn't. At the sight of our weapons - especially my Keyblade - the two relaxed, and we did the same again, letting the weapons fade into the air once more, like usual.

The larger lion, the male with fire engine red hair like Axel, stepped forward and seemingly scrutinized me. When he spoke, his voice reminded me of a self-conscious teenager. "You're... Kairi, aren't you?" he asked.

His question took me by surprise. "You know me?" I replied, shooting another question back at him. I was still wary of his mental state.

He shook his head. "But Sora talked about you all the time. He said he'd know you anywhere from your eyes." He smiled a little bit. "He must've described them really well for me to recognize you."

I smiled brightly, almost unconsciously, at the mention of Sora. "He talked about me?" I asked in one of the most girly voices I'd heard in a long time, even compared to Selphie. I heard Axel scoff somewhere behind me, but ignored it easily.

The lion, who I assumed to be Simba, let out a little chuckle. "All the time," he assured me. As if realizing he hadn't introduced himself, he added, "I'm Simba." _Ha, I was right._ He gestured with a nod of his head to the lioness who stood proudly next to him, her beautifully blue eyes still full of childish charm. "And this is Nala."

"Hello," Nala said welcomingly, smiling.

"Well... yeah, I'm Kairi," I said stupidly, laughing a little to try to make it seem funny that I was so clueless in front of royalty. "And this is Selphie." I smiled in her direction, and she pranced up next to me, eager to share stories with the two lions.

I'd purposely left out Axel, and it wasn't long before he realized it. Covering it up, he stepped forward and presented himself. "I'm Axel," he said, holding his head high, as if he wouldn't degrade himself by being respectful to the rulers of this kingdom.

Jerk.

We talked for a while, discussing the past and present as far as Sora went, and, just like in Twilight Town, Axel stayed completely silent during the conversation. I could feel the nice part of me sympathizing with him, understanding how left out he must feel. But then the bitchier, _smarter_ part of me remembered that he had no heart, and was probably just annoyed that we kept talking about Sora. Well, tough luck. Every place we were going to had met or likely heard of Sora, so he was just gonna have to get used to it.

"Oh, by the way, have you seen anyone named Kiara?" Nala asked, her eyes giving away the worry inside.

"No, sorry," Selphie answered.

"Who is she?" I asked.

"She's our daughter," Simba answered, a sigh in his voice. "She's always had a mind of her own, but this morning she ran off again, and no one can seem to find her. She usually turns up by now, when she gets bored, but there's been no sign of her since sunrise."

"I'm sure she's fine," I assured, trying to calm them with my eyes. "But we haven't seen any signs that anything's wrong here, so we have some free time. We could go look for her if you want."

"Really?" Nala asked, her whole expression brightening. "Oh, thank you so much. She can take care of herself, but we just get so worried."

Simba's mouth curved up on one side in a smirk. Somehow I got the feeling that Nala wasn't the leader of the worry committee.

I smiled. "No problem. We'll be back as soon as we find her, okay?"

Simba nodded. "See you soon," he said.

I turned and walked back into the darkness, feeling my fur prickle.

Axel loped up next to me. "You just _had_ to jump up at the first sign of distress, didn't you?" he asked, obviously glaring at me, even though I couldn't see him.

"It's what we're supposed to do, Axel," I responded. "You shouldn't have come if you didn't want to help."

"Sucks, 'cause I really don't care about helping out little lions and monkeys."

We made it back out to the horizontal rock platform, and I turned to pin him with an accusing stare. "Then why _did_ you come?" I demanded.

He was quiet as he matched my gaze fearlessly, then his eyes narrowed. "You know, I'm not sure," he snapped, then hurried down the slope to the grassy ground below.


	20. Chapter 19: Surprise Attack

**Disclaimer: Skit-diddle-lee-do-dop. Don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

A/N: Well, almost at twenty! Pretty crazy awesome, no? I think that deserves a review.

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi) Part 19

I ignored Axel all the way through the Pride Lands, then through the Wastelands, then through the Gorge, all the way to the Oasis. The entire time he looked straight ahead, leading me and Selphie in what seemed like the right direction. I knew better than to trust him, though. Throughout the whole walk, my muscles were tense, and my eyes narrowed, ready to spring on him if he turned on us.

Selphie could obviously sense my suspicion. "I doubt he's leading us into a trap, Kairi," she whispered to me, even though Axel's ears twitched back toward us as if he could hear.

"I don't trust him," I answered, not letting my eyes stray from him for one second. "For all we know, he could be. Dammit, we should've told someone where we were going."

"What?" Axel said, butting in to the conversation. "Afraid you can't take me, _princess?_" he sneered.

"I could kick your ass any day!" I yelled back. "Got it _memorized?_"

I heard him growl, and he picked up the pace, setting us off at a fast lope, forcing me to sprint to keep up on my short baby lion legs.

Selphie gave me look once Axel was far enough away to be out of earshot. "Maybe you should stop pissing him off all the time," she said, surprisingly not out of breath. She really was like a gazelle; she could run as fast and long as she wanted and not be tired. This pace must be relatively slow for her, then. She could probably outrun Axel if she really tried, maybe even Zira and that other lion back at the Valley.

Finally, when I was practically gasping for breath, we came to the Oasis Sora had told me about years ago. It was just like he described: the scenery was beautiful. There were flowers and trees, soft grass, and a blue pond in the center, reflecting my cute lion face that was taking me forever to get used to. I couldn't help letting my bad mood dissipate at the sight of me, and I smiled. God, I was so cute.

But the scene was put back into reality as I heard snarls from behind a large treetrunk. I nodded to Selphie and didn't let my eyes rest on Axel - I was still ignoring him. I heard a laugh from his direction, as if he could tell what I was thinking. I scowled and made my way to the treetrunk, then wiggled underneath until I could get a clear view of the other side.

Two lions, looking like they'd be about my age, maybe a little younger, if they were humans, were fighting. One was female, with a golden pelt that reminded me of Simba's. _She must be Kiara,_ I thought. My eyes turned to the other lion.

It was the one from the Valley! The one who wanted to kill Simba! Kovu, that was his name!

I pounced out from under the trunk and pushed my way between Kiara and Kovu. "Get back, Kiara!" I cried as Selphie and Axel filed in beside me. "We'll take care of this _demon!_"

"What?" she asked, but I hardly heard her over my childish roar as I vaulted toward Kovu, the Keyblade appearing in my jaws just in time for me to slash at his shoulder.

Kovu bared his teeth in pain and anger, but his eyes seemed nothing but confused.

I wouldn't let that distract me. I dug my claws in the ground to brace myself for another pounce, but Kiara jumped in between me and my target.

"What are you doing?" she asked, looking at me with wide eyes.

I was flustered. "What are_ you_ doing?" I countered, the Keyblade disappearing. "This prick wants to kill Simba! Your _dad!_"

Kiara shook her head, sighing. "No, he doesn't."

I stood up straight and let myself loosen up a little. "What are you talking about?"

Kovu stepped up beside Kiara, and oddly I saw that Axel matched every step of his, coming up on my side. I ignored it, but only felt completely safe when Selphie rested her feet on the ground at my other side.

"My mother, Zira, wants Simba's throne," Kovu explained. "She thinks that if she kills him, she can take his place and be Queen. She wants to carry on Scar's legacy." At the word 'legacy', he scoffed, showing his formidable-looking teeth.

"So then why were you two fighting?" Selphie asked, her voice completely innocent, instead of my accusing thoughts forming at the tip of my tongue.

"We weren't," Kiara said. "We were just messing around." She smiled and leaned against Kovu, who looked down at her with a soft smile.

"Oooh," I said, my eyes getting wide.

"Well, that's a twist," Axel said, sitting down, uninterested.

Kiara giggled a little, then leaned back and sat on her haunches, Kovu doing the same.

But I wasn't nearly as relaxed. "But if you're not gonna kill Simba, what's Zira gonna do?"

Kovu looked down. "She keeps talking about a war or something. That if the lions in Simba's pride don't listen to her, then her and the other outsiders will kill anyone who disagrees with them, until everyone just does as they're told. She'll probably do that even if Simba's still alive. She's really impatient most of the time."

"So you're saying it could be soon?" Selphie asked, already looking scared. I brushed my tail lightly against her leg reassuringly.

Kovu nodded. "But not too soon, though," he said, trying to put her at ease. "She still thinks I'm on her side."

"Kiara!"

We all looked to the right and saw a blue bird flying toward us, looking practically terrified.

"Zazu!" Kiara jumped up to meet him. "What's wrong?"

"The Pride Lands are being attacked!" he squaked.

"What?!" Kiara, Kovu, and I all exclaimed in unison. From the corner of my eye I saw Axel eye Kovu accusingly.

"Zira brought her outsiders and -" he stopped as he saw Kovu and landed on the treetrunk. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"He's fine, Zazu, don't worry about him," Kiara said quickly. "Now where are they?"

"Simba lured them away from the Pride Lands. Last I checked he was heading for the Wastelands."

Kiara and Kovu locked eyes for only a second before jumping over the trunk and bolting for the woods, out of the Oasis. I followed almost immediately after, checking behind me to see if Selphie and Axel were following. Selphie was watching where she was going, intently staring at her destination, but Axel offered me an encouraging nod.

I blinked back at him with a little nod, then returned my gaze forward. It was strange that in the face of trouble, the two of us could put aside our differences to help those who needed it.

Maybe we could make a good team after all.

...

Oh, who am I kidding?


	21. Chapter 20: Roaring Thunderstorm

**Disclaimer: Do we really need to say it again?**

A/N: Sorry it took me so long! Well, it's 12:05 right now, and I just finished part 19, so I think I'll go to bed. Be back later!

... (snore) ...

Okay, back now! So wow, we're at twenty, huh? Thanks for reading this far guys! I hope you're liking it so far! We've got a long way to go, but I think it's going great so far! And thanks so so so sooooo much for the reviews! They make me update faster! And all you guys reading this who aren't reviewing... Don't think I won't find you.

And if you read or are reading my other story (With Effects Akin to Narcotics) I'm thinking I'm gonna start making the layout of the title and stuff like that one. So I'll start that now. And I'll add chapter titles in the story.

Oh no! I just realized I forgot my little theme songs in the last chapter! Maybe 18, too, I'm not sure, but I am so sorry about that! I'll have them in this one, I promise! And now I have a wider selection to choose from, so I'll be able to get better songs. Hopefully haha.

**Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi)**

**Chapter 20**

**Roaring Thunderstorm**

_~Fragments of Sorrow playing~_

I'd never run so fast in all my life. Not even when Axel led us to the Oasis, or when I would race with Sora and Riku on Destiny Islands. When we got to the Wastelands, I was gasping for breath, and it was proving very hard to breathe with my Keyblade locked between my jaws. I was biting down on it so hard it felt like my teeth were chipping.

Thunder made my fur stick up, and I tensed as the cold water pelted me from above. Oh, this was just too cliche. A thunderstorm during a war.

As we ran forward, shapes began to appear as the lightning lit up the clearing. It was like there were two seas about to converge. The Outsiders on one side, the Pride Landers on the other, both growling and glaring, teeth bared.

"Oh, god," Kiara whispered.

"Quick, there isn't much time!" Kovu exclaimed, bolting toward the center of the field.

Kiara quickly followed, but was caught off guard by a root that had made its way above ground. At the sound of her cry of distress, Kovu spun around and ran back to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, coming up next to her. At her nod, Kovu lifted his head to look at us. "Go and hold them off. We'll come as soon as we can."

I nodded wordlessly and set off to the middle of the field. By now the lions were practically nose to nose, staring each other down.

Simba looked surprised to see us as we took position at his side. "Kairi? What are you doing here?"

"We found Kiara," I said, ignoring his question. "She's safe, and she's coming. But there's something you don't know..."

"At last!"

Simba's attention was stolen from me by a sudden roar of relish. Zira stepped forward from within the ranks of the Outsiders, a look of insane pleasure on her face. "This day has finally come," she said, glaring at Simba with a smile. Apparently she was too focused on the Pride Lands' King to notice us.

"And what day is this, Zira?" Simba asked, a tone of malice dripping off his words, one that I would've never expected to hear from him.

Zira's smile widened. "The day when the Pride Lands come under the rule of someone who _truly_ deserves it! The day only a visionary like Scar could've planned. The day Simba, the King of the Pride Lands, _dies!_"

At her speech, the Outsiders roared and growled, sheathing and unsheathing their claws repeatedly in anticipation.

Simba snarled. "Zira, you and your lions are weak and hungry. How do you expect to win against me and my pride?"

"I have all I need in Scar," she said, her fealty almost disgusting. "_And_ his son."

Simba's eyes narrowed. "Son?" he asked in disbelief and confusion.

Zira unsheathed her claws and dug them into the ground. She let out a roar at the very moment that thunder struck a nearby tree, and at the sound, her pride charged forward and began a frenzy.

I bit down hard on the hilt of my Keyblade and swung it in a full circle, sending five Outsiders jumping away. Axel flung his chakrams, ablaze, at an alarming rate, catching any nearby Outsiders with blades and fire. Selphie kicked and slammed into two lions at once, catching another in the stomach with the sharp edge of her sheild.

Through the snarls and growls of pain and anger, I heard one familiar roar. I struck a nearby lion and looked through the legs of those taller than me.

Running toward the frey were Kovu and Kiara, looks of determination on their faces.

Zira must've noticed them at the same time I did, for she let out a loud growl, and her lions fell back behind her. "Kovu!" she said, almost in a welcoming tone as the two came in between the masses. "What perfect timing! Come, help me claim the Pride Lands for my own."

_~Duty and Friendship - Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core~_

"Kiara!" Simba exclaimed. "What are doing with him? He could've killed you!"

"Father!" Kiara said. "You don't understand! Kovu wouldn't -"

"Come now, Kovu!" Zira interrupted. "Time to do what you born to do."

Kovu straightened his spine and held his head high, looking down his nose at Zira. His confidence reminded me, oddly, of Axel. "No, Mother."

Zira's eyes widened, her grin falling to the ground. "What?!" she spat. "This is your _destiny_, Kovu! You are Scar's only son!"

"But I'm not _Scar!_ That's who you want, Mother. Not me."

"Look at what you've become!" Zira scoffed. "A few days around these... _Pride Landers_ and you've forgotten who you really are!"

"Look at what _you've_ become!" Kovu countered. He swept his eyes of the lot of Outsiders. "Look at your pride! They're like walking dead, Mother! Is this what you want?"

"I want my _throne!_" Zira roared.

"Then try and take it," Kovu said, his voice softer now but even more threatening. "Because I won't follow you anymore." He raised his voice to be heard by the rest of his pride. "And if the rest of you have any sense left, you'll do the same."

A small murmer built up in the Outsiders, and I caught more than a few uncertain eyes.

Kiara stepped up to Simba. "Kovu's right, Daddy," she said. "Look at us. Look at what all this has reduced us to. Scar was the one who divided us, and the mere memory of him is making us break out in war! He's dead, and yet he continues to reign over us! We have to put this aside, otherwise it's never going to end!"

A silence fell over the Wastelands, unbroken but for the thunder and raindrops. Everyone looked at one another, uncertainty in all their eyes.

Kovu and Kiara looked at each other, then walked to the Pride Lands side of the clearing, their faces hard with resolve. Kovu's eyes shone expectantly as he watched the Outsiders.

And soon enough, one by one, they walked over, joining the Pride Lands' lions on the other side.


	22. Chapter 21: The Last Outsider

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or Final Fantasy. Or any of the songs mentioned in this fanfic.**

A/N: Hey! Hope you liked the last one! Only two more parts in the Pride Lands! Then we move on to our next world. Who knows what that will be? Hm... only I do! So keep reading to find out! R&R please!

**Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi)**

**Chapter 21**

**The Last Outsider**

_~Lulu's Theme - Final Fantasy X~_

Zira watched with horror as her lions deserted her to go to Simba's side. Kovu and Kiara's moving words had caused them to have a change of heart.

But for one who has no heart, that's impossible, isn't it?

Zira snarled and sunk low to the ground, baring her teeth at the King of the Pride Lands. "Fine then," she growled, an insane glint in her eyes. "One-on-one, Simba! Last one standing gets the throne!"

"Zira, come to your senses," Simba said, his tone somewhere in between bored and disbelieving.

"I have! I've finally realized that I am the only one fit and loyal enough to take Scar's rightful place as ruler of the Pride Lands!"

"You're crazy!" I scoffed, stepping forward.

Zira's eyes turned toward me, and I immediately regretted speaking up. "Would you like to take his place, then?" she asked, her tone nearly civil. Then suddenly, she pounced, roaring with gusto.

My eyes widened but I wasted no time. I slashed her in the stomach with my Keyblade, causing her to tumble back. Selphie rocked her head back, then turned quickly, launching her spinning sheild through the air.

Zira caught it between her teeth, turned in mid-jump, then threw it back at her. Selphie yelped as it caught her in the side, and I resisted the urge to turn around and help her. If Zira got past us, she'd go for Simba, and that was the worst possible outcome.

Axel threw his chakrams at her, one after another after another, but she deflected nearly every one. I cast Cure on him, then ran toward Zira. Only close-range would work on her.

I let out a chain of slashes, getting rid of half a health bar, but she knocked me back. She slashed me with her claws once, twice, three times, then snapped hard down on my hind leg, making me cry out. She kicked me back, making me somersault across the ground. I felt my strength return as Selphie gave me a Potion, nodded my thanks to her, then ran back.

Axel had gotten a few good hits in, and was sending a blazing train of fire at her when I got returned. I swung my Keyblade and cast Blizzard, shocking Zira and Axel. His fire disappeared and he gave me a look, but I ignored him. I wouldn't let him have _all_ the glory.

Selphie ran in and knocked Zira back three times before Zira got a good hit at her flank. Selphie stumbled back but otherwise didn't make a sound and kicked Zira right in the face. Zira snarled and lunged at her but was caught off guard as my Thunder hit her back. As she yowled in pain, Axel bit her leg, threw her into the air, and shot her with fire at least six times.

I checked my Scan bar; she was almost finished! Only half a bar left. I lifted my head and saw Zira's eyes before she knocked my head back and bit my neck. I screamed, but it was cut short as her teeth closed around my windpipe. I could feel my neck bleeding as she broke the skin.

I don't know exactly how long we stayed like that; me, standing and bleeding, and her, crouching and biting and snarling with pleasure. She bit down deeper, enjoying my pain and the taste of my blood. My vision started to go white and I began to figure out that gasping for any air was futile. Lightning blinded me momentarily but I didn't blink; I couldn't find the strength.

I felt my legs beginning to give way underneath me; whether it was from the pain of absense of oxygen I wasn't sure. The only thing holding me up was Zira.

And suddenly she disappeared. I fell to the ground, with nothing left to support me, and sucked in a huge breath. The air burned my throat and the movement caused blood to pour out of my open wounds, but the white disappeared for at least a moment, and that was more than I could wish for.

But the absense of white brought forth the pain that I had recently been numb to. I let out a harsh yell in agony, then crushed my teeth together, trying to retain whatever dignity I had left. I looked to my right and found my Keyblade lying there, as if looking up at me in sympathy, saying, "I'm not leaving; I'm right here with you."

But what was past it was what really stole my attention.

Axel swept Zira off her feet by slashing at her ankles, then caught the back of her neck between his teeth and threw her into the air. His chakrams positioned themselves in front of him and shot a long, thick line of fire at her. The two trains twisted together at the middle, making it bigger and even more powerful.

Zira fell to the ground silently, and I was beginning to think she was dead until she stood up, slowly and shaking violently. "You think... you can actually... kill me?"

"It's over, Zira," Axel said monotonically, his eyes glaring daggers. "You lost."

"Not yet, I haven't!" She ran at Axel, who simply stepped out of her way. She realized this too late, and vaulted over the edge of the Wastelands.

"Zira!" Kiara yelled, and ran to the edge.

"Kiara!" Simba and Kovu exclaimed in unison, running after her.

Kiara sprinted right past Axel, who looked unconcerned with the whole thing, and jumped right off the edge.

I couldn't see what was happening now, and I couldn't pick up the Keyblade to cast Cure on myself. I could only listen and guess what was happening.

"Zira!" Kiara cried again. "Zira, please, take my paw!"

I heard a growl, and a wince.

"Zira, please! I can help you!"

There was a silence at first, then what sounded like grunts of effort and desperation, and finally a scream and a gasp.

"Zira!" Kiara screamed, but it was drowned out as something crashed into water.

Everyone was quiet while Kovu and SImba helped Kiara back onto the land. She turned to Kovu. "I'm so sorry, Kovu. I couldn't save her."

"It's alright, Kiara," he breathed back, and nuzzled her neck. "As long as you're okay."

Simba watched them warily, but with a nudge from Nala, his expression turned to fondness. He was quickly surrounded by expectant looking lions from both prides, and he offered them a smile. "Come on, everyone," he said. "Let's go home. All of us."

And as he, Nala, Kiara, and Kovu led the new pride back to Pride Rock, my pain ebbed away and was replaced by strength. I looked up and saw Axel looking down at me, "Now we're even," he said, then turned away, leaving Selphie and I by ourselves.


	23. Chapter 22: Acceptance

**Disclaimer: Don't own Kingdom Hearts**

A/N: Sorry! It's been so long, sorry. I've been sorta distracted lately. It's been a crazy summer so far. I went to New York after school on the last day, then went to Alabama for my cousin's wedding, and just got back. I also happened to fall in love in Alabama, with a guy that is not only out of my league, but ten years older than me. So yeah, I'm depressed. Cuz for one, he lives in North Carolina, and two, he's sorta ten years older than me! And he's an angel, too, so yep, I'm sad. But whatevs, Obladi Oblada, Life Goes On, right? And on Monday I'm going to camp, where I'll be staying for a week, until the next Sunday. So you'll just have to go through withdrawal for a while while I'm gone lol. I hope it doesn't get too bad. Well, anyways, I've gone on and on with my own agenda when you guys just wanna read the story, am I right? So I'll cut the crap (ew) and get on with the story! Enjoy!

**Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi)**

**Part 22**

**Acceptance**

_~Kairi's Theme playing~_

Selphie helped me to my feet, and I shook my head to clear it. The sudden rush of strength back to my body had left me disoriented, but I found my footing quickly. I sent her a reassuring smile, and she sighed a sigh of relief and grinned back. "You've gotta be more careful, Kairi," she said, taking up the walk back to the Pride Lands.

I fell into step beside her. "I know; I'm sorry," I replied. "I shouldn't have let my guard down like that, especially not around a psychologically-challenged lion."

Selphie laughed at that, but I could tell her heart was still pounding with worry. "You really had me scared; promise you'll never do anything like that again."

"I'll try my best," I said. "That's the most I can promise."

Selphie paused, but finally accepted. "Alright, I guess that's good enough."

It was quiet for a while, until the question tugging at my mind finally came through my lips. "What did Axel mean by 'now we're even'?" I asked.

Selphie didn't say anything for a minute. "Well, he saved your life, just like you did when Roxas tried to kill him. So I guess he means that."

"But what does he _mean_ by that?"

Selphie looked at me quizically. "I just told you."

"No, I mean..." I struggled to find a way to voice my thoughts. "Um... Well, normally people say 'now we're even' when they've repayed a debt or something. So was there some debt he had to me when I saved his life? And if there was, then what happens now, now that 'we're even'?" I hesitated, then spat out my fear. "Is he gonna leave?"

Selphie said nothing for what seemed like eternity. "I don't know, Kairi," she said, but it sounded like she echoed my fear in her heart. "You guys _have_ been fighting a lot, so I wouldn't really be surprised if he wanted to." Her eyes flickered down to me and, at the sight of my frightened expression. "But I'm sure he won't! He said he'd come along, right? Axel doesn't seem like the kind of guy to go back on his word, right?"

"I guess so." It was sweet that she was trying to quell my fears, but honestly, it wasn't working very well.

Selphie lowered her head so she could speak quieter to me; as if anyone was listening. "What are you so scared of, anyway? So what if he leaves?"

I looked her square in the eyes. "If he leaves, then we can't save the worlds. We'll get killed trying. As a matter of fact, he's been the one taking us everywhere. And it's not like anybody _here_ could get us to other worlds. If he leaves, we'd be stuck here!"

"But then you'd be a cute little lion forever!" Selphie protested.

I rolled my eyes, but a thin smile crept onto my lips. "Yes, but while you and I are being cute little animals, the rest of the worlds are getting destroyed by Hollows." I stopped myself from saying what had just popped into my head. It was almost an epiphany; my eyes went wide and everything.

Selphie must've picked up on it. "What's wrong, Kairi?" she asked, looking concerned and suspicious.

I hesitated. "Nothing," I finally answered, speaking a little too fast to be nonchalant. "It's nothing; don't worry about it."

Selphie pursed her lips, but returned her eyes to the dirt path. "Okay..." she said.

_~Passion - KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version playing~_

Selphie and I made our way through the crowd and into the den of Pride Rock without too much difficulty; all the lions parted for us. We must've been considered celebrities since we killed Zira. I smiled at the thought; it was nice being the hero, instead of the damsel in distress.

Axel was already inside, laying down next to the wall, regarding the situation with hooded, uninterested eyes.

I ignored him, but couldn't help sneaking looks at him every now and again. Okay, he hadn't left _yet_... But when would he? Would he just play around here for a while, make us think he'd stay, then disappear at the drop of a hat, just to piss us off? I wouldn't put it past him, that's for sure.

Axel's eyes snapped up to meet mine, and I looked away quickly. It was too late; he'd already seen. I looked at him again and found him staring at me, unblinking. He narrowed his eyebrows, as if asking an indignant "What?"

I shook my head and looked away, as if to say "nothing."

A roar from Simba jolted me out of my thoughts. "What?!"

Kiara padded quickly over to him, leaving Kovu's side momentarily. "Daddy, _ please_, try to understand -"

"Understand what?" he interrupted. "That you've been off sneaking around with _that_ -" he cast a glare at Kovu "- while you were supposed to be staying in the Pride Lands? And staying _safe?_"

"Daddy, I know what I did was wrong, but _please_ -"

"Don't '_please'_ me, Kiara!"

"Simba!" Nala grabbed Simba's mane between her teeth and pulled him away from Kovu and Kiara, who had returned to Kovu's side and was nuzzling his neck in comfort and apology. "What are you doing? Can't you see how happy Kiara is?"

"But she deliberately disobeyed me -"

"And how many times did you do that to Mufasa?" she shot back at him, making him shut his mouth. "Look at her. Kovu makes her happy. _And_ he helped win the war against Zira." At Simba's wary look, she continued, in a more understanding tone. "I know what you're thinking, Simba, but he's not Scar. You have to get past appearances, and see who he really is. Who knows? You may end up liking him."

Simba narrowed his eyes, then finally sighed and gave Nala a smile of defeat. "Alright, fine. But I'm keeping my eyes open."

Nala smiled and twined her tail with his.

Kiara and Kovu picked up on the vibe of acceptance immediately, and smiled big, toothy grins.

I couldn't help but smile, too. I looked over and Selphie was smiling brightly beside me. My eyes flickered to Axel for the millionth time, and he wasn't smiling. He looked... sad? Withdrawn? Why would he be sad when everyone else was so happy?

I was preparing to take a step over there to talk to him when Simba and Nala walked in front of me and out of the den, followed by Kiara and Kovu. My interest in Axel's feelings disappeared - as they should - and my interest at what they were doing spiked up. I followed them, Selphie hoofing it behind me. I heard a "hmph" and heavy footsteps behind us, and I smirked, knowing that Axel couldn't say no to his curiousity.

Simba and Nala stood at the tip of the rock overhang, looking out into the crowd of Pride Landers and Outsiders. On either side of them was Kiara and Kovu, beaming with happiness.

We walked up behind them, but not too close, in case we weren't supposed to be part of this ceremonial-looking situation.

Simba tossed him mane back and turned his head to us, giving me an expectant look.

I furrowed my brow as I tried to figure out what he was looking at me that way for, until I understood. I smiled back and loped to the ledge, Simba and Nala stepping back to let me through.

The Keyblade appeared in my jaws, and I set my feet on the ground, steadying myself. I closed my eyes and, when I felt wind ruffling my fur, opened them. I was standing in the now familiar scene of Destiny Islands at sunset. The Keyhole traced itself on the setting sun, and was colored in by a deep, endless black, offsetting the orange-red color of the sun.

I tossed my Keyblade up in the air and caught it with my tail, feeling my chest swell up in pride. As the thin blue light traveled from the tip of my Keyblade to the black Keyhole, I felt as if that connection symbolized the two prides. The key and the lock were together again, bringing together a whole new era in this world. The fighting was over, and the kingdom was safe. And I felt a joy in the knowledge that this wouldn't have been possible if we hadn't helped.

All too soon, the sound of crashing waves and seagulls was gone, replaced by an awed silence. I blushed at the feeling of a thousand eyes on me, and was grateful when I could step aside to let Simba and Nala have their place back. I joined Selphie and Axel at the back, smiling and holding tightly to that feeling of calm and joy. Selphie gave me a smile in return, and even Axel nodded at me in approval.

Simba roared loudly, and his cry was taken up by Nala, then Kiara, then Kovu, then the rest of the pride. Their song of triumph and peace was strong and clear, and could be heard throughout the Pride Lands.

I watched for a moment, then turned back to Selphie and Axel. I walked up to Axel, keeping my eyes locked on his, waiting for him to disappear. "I think it's time for us to go," I said, trying to keep my suspicions hidden from my face.

Axel looked at me for a moment, then nodded. A shadow portal appeared behind him, and he stepped aside, clearing the way for us.

I blinked in surprise. I cast a glance at Selphie, who looked surprised as well, but was doing a much better job of hiding it than I was.

Axel looked at me expectantly. "Well, come on! What are you waiting for?"

I shook my head, blinking again. "Nothing. Nevermind. Let's go." I padded past him into the shadows, avoiding his confused eyes.


	24. Chapter 23: Arabian Nights

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but I do own the Kingdom's souls. D heh heh heh...**

A/N: Hey again! Guess what world this one is? Hmm you won't know unless you read! And review!

Oh, and it's also come to my attention that when I first introduced Selphie, she was wearing scrubs. Don't ask me how, but she's made a costume change. She is wearing jeans and a purple shirt. Not scrubs. She is not going around saving the world... in scrubs. Although that would be really funny.

**Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi)**

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**Arabian Nights**

_~To A New Post - Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core playing~_

I stepped out of the shadows and fell to the ground. I ground my teeth as my knees scraped against the sand of the ground.

"Kairi, are you okay?" Selphie asked. She started to walk toward me, but her legs wobbled, and Axel caught her arm to steady her.

I laughed a little. "Walking on two legs isn't as easy as we thought, huh?"

"Be careful who hears you say that," Axel said, leading Selphie to a nearby unoccupied stand. She leaned her hand on it and tested out her feet while he made his way over to me. He grabbed my forearm and heaved me up roughly. "You don't want people getting suspicious."

I gave him a look and he let go of my arm. I leaned my back against a stand and wiped the sand off my knees and dress.

"Suspicion leads to fear," he continued, "which leads to anger. The last thing we need's to get run out of a world that needs our help."

I walked up to him, shakily. "Since when have you ever cared about helping people?" I asked. I elbowed him in the ribs. "Are you going soft on us, Axel?"

He glared at me and elbowed me back, harder, making me stumble and almost fall back to the ground.

"Hey!" I found my footing and ground my teeth together. "What's your damage?"

"You," he said simply, crossing his arms.

"Who's there?"

All three of us turned to the source of the voice, weapons in our hands, ready to fight if we needed to.

A dark-skinned man, looking to be about twenty-five or maybe a little younger, ran around the corner, eyes locked on us. His hair was black and his eyes were brown, and he wore rags and no shoes. There was a patch on his baggy beige pants and a monkey trailing after him, making horrible, ear-splitting monkey sounds.

"Who are you?" I asked, trying to sound threatening. I'm pretty sure it worked.

The man sighed, apparently ignoring my question. "Phew, I thought you were more of those weird shadow things."

I immediately loosened up and took a few steps toward him. "You know about Hollows?" I asked. "Are there any here?"

"Yeah, plenty," he answered. "But they only seem to come out at night. Like right now." He looked around the area for safe measure, then nodded to himself. "Do you guys need a place to stay? You shouldn't be out so late, with those things wandering around."

I looked at Selphie, then Axel. Neither of them seemed particularly opposed to the idea. I turned back to the man. "Okay, thanks. What's your name?"

"Aladdin," he answered, leading the way out of the area.

I followed him, Selphie and Axel trailing behind. "I'm Kairi. This is Selphie, and this is Axel."

Aladdin sent each of them a welcoming smile. Selphie smiled back, but Axel only nodded, his eyes flickering around the buildings and stands warily, as if he was expecting something to jump out at us.

I ignored him, as was becoming a regular habit by now. "So where are we gonna be staying?"

_~Exchange of Courtesies - Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core playing~_

I tried to keep from gaping as we entered a white palace with gold domed ceilings and almost Keyhole-shaped windows. In the first room we entered was a huge gold and red throne that resembled an elephant.

There was a short, fat man with a long, white beard and blue eyes playing with some toys in a corner of the room, with a tall woman next to him. She had long black hair and huge brown eyes, and was wearing a blue shirt and pants, with golden shoes. She had huge hoop earrings and the shoulders of her shirt slipped off her shoulders.

"Aladdin!" She smiled and hugged him when we walked in.

"Hey, Jasmine," he answered and squeezed her back fondly.

She stepped back. "Who are your friends?" she asked, but I caught the wary glint in her eyes.

"This is Kairi, Selphie, and Axel," he explained, gesturing to each of us as neccessary. "They need a place to stay, you know, so they're safe from those weird shadows."

"We'd like to stay here, if that's okay," I said, before realizing it was unneccessary. I just hated standing there and being talked about as if I couldn't hear.

"Of course!" Jasmine said happily. "Here, I'll help find rooms for you."

I was sort of stunned by her readiness to help. "Oh... okay. Thanks." I glanced at Axel, who looked just as surprised as I was.

"Follow me," she said, and led us up some stairs.


	25. Chapter 24: Magic Carpet Ride

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts but I'm living like life's going out of style.**

A/N: Okay, I'm so sorry that the last chapter was so short. But it was (and still is) 12:30 am, and I was (and am) tired as... I don't know, something that's really tired. So I'll go to bed, and write later. Maybe tomorrow, maybe when I get back from camp. Please check out my new story, Blood! And I updated in With Effects Akin to Narcotics, too, so check that out, too! This chapter is not gonna have any action at all, and will really just be about relationship development, so all you hopeless romantics out there (like me) will have a blast with this one! I'll try my best to make it awesome! Well good night and sleep tight and sweet dreams and all that to all you guys out there reading this! I love you all and... oh who am I kidding, I'm going to bed. Read and review... *sleep*

Woohoo back from camp! It was kickass, and I met some awesome people, and I will now name them cuz they're cool like that, and all you guys can be like "oh they're so cool". So there's Shelbi, one of my new bffs, and give a lot of credit to her when it comes to With Effects Akin to Narcotics, cuz she gave me a shitload of new ideas and info. Thanks for all the help with my research about the "candy" Shelbi! I love you! And then there's Danielle, Shelbi's sister. She was so cool and really fun to talk to, and I will text her constantly lol. It was hilarious to watch her and Shelbi fight, and I still crack up when I think of the lead singer of Led Zeppelin! Then there's Katie (camper Katie, not counselor, not yet at least), who was thirteen but totally didn't seem like it. She was one of the biggest supporters of my stories and is even going around showing them to her friends! I didn't get to hang out with her much, but I have her number, so we are soooo keeping in touch! And then the counselors Vicky, Erin, and Katie. Vicky was one of my favorite counselors ever, she was so cool. She was really easy to talk to and wasn't all "life is perfect" but also wasn't like emo. I still haven't forgotten how she cracked up when she was reading the ideas for Narcotics. Erin read Narcotics and loved it, and she probably had the most influence on me when it came to that story besides Shelbi. She's another reason I'm continuing it, so I hope you're reading Erin! Katie was awesome, and so sweet when it came to my stories. She really liked them, and she called me "really talented" so that made me smile =). So the rest of Fire, Narcotics, and Blood is dedicated to all you guys! I love you all!

Well, I promised my mom I'd go to bed by midnight tonight, so with two minutes left to go, I better write later. Sorry about how long this is lol, and I'll update as soon as I can. Goodnight guys! And don't forget to read and review!

**Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi)**

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**Magic Carpet Ride**

_~Tifa's Theme - Final Fantasy VII:Advent Children playing~_

Jasmine - who I learned was the Princess of this land, Agrabah, and a Princess of the Heart, like me - led us all to separate rooms. Selphie and I had rooms pretty close to each other, just a little walk across the hall. Axel's room was on the floor underneath us, down the hall quite a ways. I smiled a little inside at that. It was nice to know that I wasn't the only one suspicious of Axel's motives.

I changed into a silky purple dress that resembled Jasmine's outfit, grateful for the smell of clean clothes. I loved my green dress, but it was starting to smell a little _too_ much like me.

My door opened, and I whipped around, my heart already pumping and adrenaline coursing through my veins.

It was Selphie, smiling and looking around my room in awe.

I let myself relax. The reflexes I'd gained from fighting Hollows were useful, but not at times like this. I breifly wondered if I'd even have trouble sleeping tonight.

"Isn't this crazy?" Selphie asked, tilting her head up to look at the raised ceiling while walking toward me.

I pushed a vase to the side right before she sat down on the edge of a table, not paying attention to where she was going. I smiled back and laughed a little. "Yeah, it is," I replied. "Sora never said anything about a palace."

Selphie looked at me. "That must mean he's never stayed here before," she said.

"Probably," I agreed, walking around my room absentmindedly.

Selphie pushed herself up from the table and walked with me. "That means we've actually done something he hasn't before!" she exclaimed excitedly. "This is great! Now _we'll_ have new stories to tell!"

I smiled. "You're right," I said softly, stopping in the middle of my room.

Selphie pursed her lips and walked in front of me, turning to pin with me with a concerned look. "Are you okay, Kairi?" she asked, her hands on her hips. "You're not talking much."

I blinked, then looked away. "I don't know," I said thoughtfully. "I guess I'm just tired."

Selphie stood there for a few more seconds, then sighed. "Okay," she breathed. "I'm tired, too, anyways. Can you believe we've already saved _two worlds?_" She smiled.

I grinned back. "It really is incredible, huh?"

Selphie nodded, then turned around. "Well, I'm gonna get some sleep. Night Kai!" She sent me a wave, then walked outside and shut the door behind her.

I stood there for a moment. "Night, Selph," I muttered. I sighed and walked out to the balcony just outside my room, separated only by thin purple curtains.

I leaned on the stone banister, folding my arms on it and staring out to the stars. I felt a little bad about what just happened. I'd basically just blown Selphie off. And I didn't even know why!

Why wasn't I talking very much? Maybe I _was_ just tired. After all, as Selphie said, we had saved two worlds. In _one_ day. I let out another sigh and let my eyes travel to the moon. That must be it. I was tired.

Suddenly the moon was blocked out by a face.

I screamed.

"What are you - Shut up!" A hand clasped over my mouth, and another gripped my shoulder.

I shook my head and struggled. _Not this,_ I thought. _Not again!_

"Kairi! Calm down!"

I opened my eyes wide, recognizing the voice. My eyes fixed on his, then I glared at him.

It was Axel.

I pushed him away and wiped my mouth. "What are you _doing?!_" I barked angrily.

Axel crossed his arms. "Scaring you, apparently."

I opened my mouth to say something, then noticed where he was standing. Or, more like where he _wasn't_ standing. "Are you -... Are you _floating?_"

His expression brightened immediately. "Oh, yeah!" He raised himself higher in the air, showing what he was standing on. "Check out what I found!"

Underneath his feet was a blue and purple carpet, with yellow fringes, grouped together at the corners so it almost looked like it had hands and feet.

I stepped forward, my eyes growing larger with every step. "Ohmygod," I breathed, running my hand along its yellow fringe.

A ripple went through the fabric, and suddenly Axel was on his knees, clinging to the carpet as it made a giant circle in the sky. I gasped in surprise and fear for Axel, but when I realized he was fine, I let myself laugh.

Axel came to rest, cross-legged, on the carpet, in front of me again. He let out a breath, then laughed with me, running a hand through his hair in embarrassment.

I put a hand in front of my lips to calm myself. "So it's alive?" I asked, looking at it as I spoke, as if I was addressing it.

Axel shrugged. "I guess," he answered. The carpet folded at the top and bobbed up and down, as if it were nodding.

I giggled, then held my hand out. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Carpet," I said.

Carpet jerked forward and grabbed my hand with its 'hand', shaking mine violently. I laughed again, and stepped forward when my hand was free.

I looked at Axel, smiling. "Where'd you find him?"

He shrugged. "It was just in my room, rolled up in a corner."

"That's weird," I muttered, but didn't really acknowledge it. I tickled Carpet's hand, and another ripple went through him.

Randomly, Axel stood up. "Come with me," he said, holding out a hand to me.

I looked up into his expectant eyes. "Where?" I asked.

"Anywhere," he answered, smiling. "Come on, Kairi, don't you trust me?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "No," I replied coldly. "Not at all, actually."

He rolled his eyes, then tapped his foot on Carpet. He flew around me, then behind me, and I let out an "umph!" as Carpet knocked me off my feet and onto him, sitting in front of Axel. Carpet swerved to the side, and I nearly fell off.

"Woah!" Axel wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close up against him. "Careful there, princess," he warned, his voice in my ear.

I felt my face grow hot, and I couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or a reaction to how close we were. Nevertheless, I straightened my shoulders and tried to look competant. "I'm fine, don't worry," I said.

Axel just laughed and held on tighter as Carpet vaulted off into the stars.

_~A Whole New World - Disney's Aladdin playing~_

At first, I was scared. Here I was, flying through the air a hundred feet off the ground with a man who not only kidnapped me, but who I hated with all my being. But the more I saw of the gorgeous landscape, the more comfortable I became.

Axel leaned close to me and started to whisper words into my ear; I had to strain myself a little to hear him. "I can show you the world," he said, his voice full of emotion and passion. "Shining, shimmering, splendid. Tell me, princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?"

My face flushed. His words seemed to reach down into my heart. He was making so much sense!

"I can open your eyes," he continued, taking his arms off my waist to put his hands on my shoulders. "Take you wonder by wonder. Over -" Carpet went over a pyramid "- sideways -" around another one "-and under -" and underneath the sphinx's head "-on a magic carpet ride!"

I laughed as the wind blew my hair back, and Axel moved his head above my right shoulder. "A whole new world! A new, fantastic point of view!" He gestured with his hand to the cloudless night, and the ground far beneath us. "No one to tell us no! Or where to go! Or say we're only dreaming," he added softly.

I couldn't help it, the words were rushing to my head, desperate to escape. "A whole new world!" I whispered, and he stopped, almost surprised that I joined in. "A dazzling place I never knew! But when I'm way up here, it's crystal clear that now I'm in a whole new world..." I turned my head to face him, and he looked at me, grinning. "...with you."

"Now I'm in a whole new world with you!" His voice started soft, but grew with emotion as he spoke, his smile growing bigger with each word.

"Unbelievable sights!" I turned my attention to a herd of wild horses running across the sand, into the moonlight. "Indescribeable feeling! Soaring, tumbling, we're weaving through an endless diamond sky!"

Carpet shot upward, taking us straight through a puffy white cloud.

"A whole new world!" I covered my eyes with my hands, but Axel pulled them away gently.

"Don't you dare close your eyes!"

"A hundred thousand things to see!"

"Hold your breath, it gets better!"

"I'm like a shooting star! I've come so far! I can't go back to where I used to be!"

"A whole new world!"

"Every turn a surprise!"

"With new horizons to percieve!"

"Every moment gets better!"

Axel and I turned to each other, our faces lit up with excitement. "I'll chase them anywhere!" we said together. "There's time to spare! Let me share this whole new world with you."

Axel got a soft look in his eyes, and the excitement dimmed from his face, replaced by something else, something I couldn't really identify. "A whole new world," he whispered.

"A whole new world," I repeated, feeling my breath come back to me as Carpet slowed down.

"That's where we'll be." Carpet pulled up to my balcony.

"That's where we'll be." Axel stood and helped me up.

"A thrilling chase..." Carpet stopped above the white stone and folded his top half, making a sort of stairs.

"A wondrous place..." I stepped down carefully, holding on to Axel's hand for support.

"For you and me." We breathed the words together, our eyes never leaving each other, as I stepped onto the balcony and my hand slid from his, slowly, unwillingly.

Axel grinned at me, and I smiled back. "See you tomorrow, princess," he whispered.

"Goodnight," I said under my breath as he and Carpet disappeared underneath the balcony.

A/N: Okay, I am so sorry about the corniness of that. I couldn't help myself! The Disney fan inside of me was going crazy as I writing this! Besides, the lyrics of that song fit really well in this story in general when it comes to Axel and Kairi's relationship. So I hope you guys don't hate me for adding a Disney song to my story. Once again, I couldn't help it. I am very sorry. But I hope i at least incorporated it in there well.


	26. Chapter 25: Back at Square One

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but I basically own this laptop! woo!**

A/N: Okay, well, it's been a while, I know. I'm sorry, but you must understand: 1) I have other things to do than write. 2) I have like six other stories to work on, so I can't pay attention to one at a time, otherwise my other stories will perish. Now, remember that this is my main one, and no matter what, this will be my priority. But Narcotics is important to me, and I have so many ideas for Blood. Absolute Zero is a nice escape from Kingdom Hearts, and Roses is gonna be amazing. So please check out all my updates while you're waiting for other stories! Review and I will love you!

**Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi)**

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

**Back at Square One**

_~Burden of Truth - Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core playing~_

_I opened my eyes, but still saw darkness. I furrowed my brow, and my skin brushed some sort of fabric. I was wearing a blindfold. Why was I wearing a blindfold?_

_I moved to stand, but found my arms bound behind me with rope, tied around the back of a wooden chair. My legs were also tied, at the ankle around the legs of the chair. _What's going on? _I thought, closing my eyes again, the old, ragged fabric rubbing at them._

_Then I heard a sound. It sounded like the door was opened, and I opened my eyes again in surprise, and a little bit of fear. On the edges of my vision, at the bottom, underneath the blindfold, I saw a little bit of light on the floor, and a shadow breaking it in the middle. The light disappeared as the door closed, and I closed my eyes again, tighter this time. My heart was pounding, and my chest rose and fell as my breathing came faster, even though I tried to keep it under control._

_"Who's there?" I asked, my voice sounding unbearably loud in the silent darkness. Every time I opened my eyes, if only for a second, everything was completely black. I couldn't even see the shadow of the person who'd entered._

_"Take a wild guess." I couldn't mistake Axel's voice, and by the sound of it, coupled with the steps of his heavy boots, he was coming closer._

_I swear my heart stopped for a moment. "A-Axel?" I whispered, stuttering in my fear._

_"Good answer," he replied, and I could hear the sneer in his voice._

_"What are you doing?" I asked, the questions coming out of my mouth in a flurry. "What's going on? Why are all the lights out? Where am I?"_

_"Shush shush shush shush..." Axel's finger pressed against my lips, and I assumed he was kneeling next to me. "Calm down, there's no reason to be scared, Kairi."_

_It was proving hard to breathe past my racing heart. "A-Are you going to hurt me?" I asked meekly when he took his hand away._

_His sigh was almost inaudible, and his boots made a sound against the floor as he stood. He put a hand on my shoulder, and seemed to lean in close to me. "Only if I have to," he whispered in my ear._

_My breath left my lungs in a quiet sound of distress, and I struggled against my restraints. My eyes filled with tears as I pleaded with him to let me free. He laughed quietly at this and placed his hands lightly on my upper arms, gently holding me to the chair. He shushed me, but I could hear the smile in his voice, and his occasional chuckle when he wiped tears off my cheek with a deceptively caring touch._

_"Be quiet, princess, there's no need for this." He grabbed my chin and shut it tight, silencing my sobs and forcing me to swallow the lump in my throat. He traced my lips with his finger, and wiped another tear away with his thumb as more sobs shook my shoulders. "I wouldn't want to have to cover up those pretty lips of yours to shut you up, huh?" His voice seemed softer as he said this, but I hardly noticed._

_He finally let go of my chin, and I breathed in a few shaky breaths as he stepped back, standing up again. "Why are you doing this?" I cried, my voice loud in an effort to speak past my dry throat._

_"Why?" His footsteps stopped, but I could feel his presence right in front of me. He suddenly seemed serious, his voice quiet and monotonic. "I'll tell you why. I lost my best friend to this Organization. That bastard DiZ stole him away from me. I finally had a chance to get him back, but I couldn't save him. Either I had to kill him, or Xemnas would send someone else, someone worse. Someone who wouldn't go easy on him. Someone who'd really _want_ to hurt him."_

_His voice got a hard edge to it, an angry undertone, and the fear came back to me, even stronger than before. "But I couldn't do it. He could finally come back, but he didn't. He chose the little Keyblade Master over me. I've lost him so many times..." he muttered, his voice a mask of despair, which quickly disappeared as he composed himself again. "I'm not gonna lose him again. Even if it means killing your little Sora." He leaned forward until I could feel his breath on my face. "Even if it means killing you, princess."_

_I couldn't breathe. All I could think about was staying alive. What could I say that would keep me alive? Anything?_

_"So," he said, standing up straight once more. "Do you have an answer for me yet?"_

_Did I? I knew where Sora was. That was what he wanted. But I... I couldn't._

_"Do I need to refresh your memory?" he asked at my silence. He lifted my face so - presumeably - I was looking at him. "Where is he?"_

_I didn't answer. I set my jaw tight, and he felt it. "Where is he, dammit?!" he roared, slapping me hard across the face._

_I cried out, and the chair rocked to the side, but set itself right just before it could fall._

_"You can only last so long, Kairi." He was behind me now, gripping my shoulders so tight I yelped in pain. "Tell me. Tell me where he is, and I swear I won't hurt you any more." He hardly even waited for answer; fire flared beneath his hands and burnt my shoulders, charring the skin and making me scream._

_"Tell me!" His voice sounded demonic, suddenly at my side. Something slashed at my cheek, and I sobbed even more. "I'll take you home, back to your island. You can be with your friends again, your family. Go to school like you did before." Then he was in front of me, his lips right before mine, his hand at my cheek, the blood from the cut flowing between his fingers. "Just three words, Kairi. That's all I'm asking for. He's in blank. Just fill in that last word, and you can go home."_

_He carved a line up my arm, and I couldn't take it anymore. "Will you _stop?!_" I screamed, making him jerk back away from me._

_"Why won't you tell me?!" he roared, grabbing my hair and jerking my face up._

_"BECAUSE I LOVE HIM!!!!"_

_~Scars of Friendship - Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core playing~_

I gasped as I sat up straight in my bed, the sheets sticking to me from sweat. Tears filled my eyes of relief and anger, thankful that it had just been a dream, and horrified that it had ever even happened in the first place.

How could I have thought that I could trust Axel? I let him say those words to me, make those promises. He was just going to end up hurting me again.

I ground my teeth together and flung the sheets away from me, my heart, once again, filled with nothing but hate for the redheaded pyro.


	27. Chapter 26: No Time For Talking

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.**

A/N: Hey there! Been a while, hasn't it? Sorry bout that, but I'm back! I'll try my best to keep going with this one, and I promise I will finish! What is it now, 26? Phew, got a loooong way to go! But I'll make it! Alright then, here you go!

And so I just got the new Three Days Grace album today, Life Starts Now, and it's fabulous! I love it, and I found a song that's perfect for Axel. It's actually basically perfect for the last chapter. It's sorta from his point of view. It's called Goin' Down and the second verse is practically a description of what he did to Kairi in the last chapter. I love it. Anyway, story time!

**Fire Resides in Her Heart**

**Part 26**

**No Time For Talking**

_~Loss of Me - Final Fantasy IX playing~_

I descended the stairs to find everyone waiting for me in the parlor, the room where we'd first come in. Selphie was absentmindedly brushing her hair, looking in her compact mirror with tired eyes. Axel sat in a small armchair, looking like a giant compared to it, his legs hanging off one arm while he rested his head back on the other one, rolling a flame like a coin on his knuckles.

As my heeled boot touched the ground, clacking against the marble tile, both their heads turned in my direction. Selphie smiled and walked over to me, but I hardly noticed. My eyes were locked on Axel's as he blinked and gave me a smile. Not a smirk, but an actual grin.

And I didn't believe an inch of it.

I glared at him before looking at Selphie, immediately forcing myself to look friendly and open. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Axel's face fall and his legs shift so he stood.

"Morning, Kairi!" Selphie greeted, ever energetic.

"Morning, Selphie," I replied, smiling back. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, actually," she admitted. "Those beds are sooo comfy! I wish we could stay here _forever!_"

I laughed. "Me too," I said, even though it was far from the truth. "But we've got other worlds to save."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, that."

I let out a little laugh, then stopped immediately as Axel stood next to me, grabbing my forearm. "What do you want, Axel?" I asked, my voice like acid, not looking at him.

"Kairi, we need to talk," he said, his voice monotonic.

I wrenched my arm from his grip and turned to look at him, but kept my voice civil and innocent. "About what?"

"You know damn well about what," he answered, his eyes narrowing.

I gritted my teeth and walked away from Selphie, letting him follow me. Once we were far enough away, I turned around to give him a harsh glare. "What did you think you were doing last night, anyway?" I asked.

"What are you talking about?" He leaned down, keeping his voice low so Selphie wouldn't know what we were arguing about.

"Everything you said!" I whispered loudly. "All that stuff about 'showing me the world' and crap? You think I don't know better? What were you trying to do, anyway? Get me to trust you? Make me believe that you can actually tell the truth? That you won't hurt me?"

"I don't have to justify myself to you," he growled, looking away.

"Exactly!" I retorted , bringing his eyes back to mine. "Because whatever you have to say from this point on doesn't matter. You're a lying, thieving, manipulating, sick _nothing_, and you will _never_ change."

With that, I stomped off, opening the heavy doors myself and walking through them, followed by a bewildered Selphie, and left Axel in the parlor, struck through the heart by my words.

_~Water - Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children playing~_

Agrabah wasn't much different in the daytime than it was at night. It almost seemed as if no one lived there. There were shops and stands filled with goods and food and clothes and accessories, but no one was there to sell the things, let alone buy them.

"Where is everybody?" Selphie asked, huddled close to herself, her eyes fearful and anxious as we walked through the bazaar.

I opened my mouth, then bit back my words. If I said "I don't know" it would just worry her more. Better think of a lie, instead. "They probably just don't sell things today. Maybe it's Sunday here," I offered. _Sunday?_ I thought. _Seriously? I thought I was a better liar than _that.

Selphie made a face like she didn't believe me, but otherwise said nothing.

A startled scream from down the road jerked my attention away from her. Axel immediately started running in the direction the sound came from, and Selphie gave me a look before following. I shook my head and ran after them, wondering why I'd paused so long. Maybe this Axel thing was getting to me more than I thought it was; much more than it should be, at least. I'd just have to ignore him. _As if that's worked before,_ I thought sarcastically.

Finally, I reached the Bazaar, then stopped suddenly when I saw what was happening.

Jasmine was in the first of a huge Harpie, beating at it and screaming, trying vainly to get free, but scared to death of the height she was at. Aladdin was cutting furiously at a pack of Wolves, but his sword merely went through the shadowy beasts, though their teeth had no problem making him bleed. Aladdin's sword dropped to the ground and the Wolves wasted no time in jumping on him in a ferocious fervor.

"Aladdin!" I shouted, running toward him, the Keyblade appearing in my hands in mid-jump. I landed on the back of a Wolf, stabbing through its spine and falling to the ground as it dissipated. I swung my blade, catching the rest of them off guard, then centered my attention on the one on my left. I cut at its heart symbol once, twice, three times until I faded, then turned to another, doing the same. I jumped out of the way of one who tried to ram me, and Selphie cut in and rammed it back, shoving it with her sheild, then threw it sideways so it spun around the battlefield in a circle, cutting all the Wolves, making the one I was attacking disappear. I turned to another, stabbing it quickly, then spun around to check on Jasmine.

Axel was attacking the giant Harpie with all his might, but I could tell his health was dropping. As much as it pained me to do so, I cast Cure on him, and watched as his strength returned and he threw a continuous chain of fire blasts at the Harpie.

"Axel, be careful!" I yelled, running to him. "You could hit Jasmine!"

"You think I'm not thinking about that?" he countered angrily. "I'd have killed this thing already if I didn't have to worry about her."

"I'm gonna cast Thunder on it," I said. "Maybe that'll knock it down." I readied myself, gripping my Keyblade tightly.

"No!" Axel yelled, catching me off guard. "Thunder is too unpredictable. You could hit her."

"Are you saying I don't have control over my magic?" I countered.

"Uh, guys?" Selphie broke in. "Maybe you should quit fighting and try and save Jasmine?"

"Yeah, Axel; quit being a prick and maybe we can actually get something done!" I yelled at him.

"Well, _you're_ just not gonna let this go, are you?"

"Guys -"

"No, I _won't_ let this go, because _you_ just keep bringing it up!"

"_I'm_ bringing this up? I don't even know what I'm bringing up! Saving Jasmine? I'm pretty sure we've never had this conversation before!"

"Oh, don't be stupid! You_ know_ that isn't what I'm talking about!"

"_Guys!_"

"_What?!_" Axel and I roared at Selphie simultaneously.

"_Shut up!!!_"

Both of us were stunned. It was so unlike Selphie to say something like that that neither of us quite knew what to do.

"Now help me save Jasmine, will you?" she yelled, clenching her teeth, then turned and ran to the Harpie without even waiting for anything resembling an answer from either of us.

Axel and I locked eyes, and I blinked. There was apology in his eyes, and I believe there was the same expression in mine, for he blinked as well, consternation replacing the apology. My mouth hung open like an idiot, and I shut it when I regained control of my head. I blinked again, then turned and ran at the Harpie, Axel's footsteps following behind faithfully.

In what felt like only a few moments, Axel held an unconscious Jasmine in his arms, gently bringing her to the ground while the Harpie faded into whispy shadows and a high-pitched scream. Selphie and I looked on as the shadows slowly disappeared into the air. I furrowed my brow as I thought for a moment. Where did those shadows go? The pure hatred, the emotionless energy of those beings; did they just diffuse into the atmosphere and enter the minds and hearts of anyone who had the misfortune to be nearby? If so, was there any true way to kill the Hollows?

In the corners of my mind, I heard a small childish laughter. But it wasn't just in my thoughts. Selphie looked at me in a mixture of confusion and fear, and I nodded, looking around, trying to pinpoint the voice.

Max was here. And he was baiting us.


End file.
